Mega Man: Iron Grid
by SapphireLibra3
Summary: In this world we live in, the rich prey on the poor, the military abuse their power, and those of us who live in the lower quarter are plagued by diseases, attacks from monsters called viruses, all while the rich live in luxury. I don't care about any of that though. My daughter is very sick, and I have to do what I can to provide for her. (Post Star Force Zero series).
1. A Mother's Hardship pt 1

**This story is Mega Man like you've never seen it before, and probably one of my darkest stories yet (and you guys thought Inner Demons was dark...). This story is rated for intense violence, strong language, sexual content, and dark themes.**

**For those who have played a game called NIER, this is inspired from that game. For those who haven't, it's for XBox 360 and PS3, so get it, play it, and beat the hell out of that game.**

**Disclaimer: Believe it or not, Mega Man still belongs to Capcom, not me... yet. I plan on one day owning the rights to Mega Man, but until then, they get the credit for the character exclusive to Mega Man.**

A Mother's Hardship pt. 1

"Mommy, where is heaven?"

Zelda looked down at the cute six year old little girl watching her intently as she did her make-up. Seeing the sweet silver haired little girl in her white dress always put a smile on her face, despite how dark their world was.

"Well Sarah," Zelda said, "Heaven is a place that exists in the sky. It's higher than the highest level in Babylon City."

"Is that where Daddy is waiting for me?" Sarah asked.

"That's right," Zelda continued, "He went there when he died, and he has a special place just for you there."

The little girl smiled softly, and then skipped over to the window and looked up. You could _just_ see the sky from their house, something that Sarah always did when she got sad. After applying her deep red lipstick and combing her long blue/silver hair, Zelda walked over to Sarah and knelt down to her.

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" Zelda asked.

"Well, I'm not getting any better, and my seventh birthday is coming next month. What if I don't live to see it? What will you do, Mommy?"

"Oh Sarah..." Zelda sat down and lifted Sarah onto her lap, "You're not going to die, honey. As long as you keep taking your medicine, you'll get better."

"Then you won't be lonely?" Sarah asked.

"That's right, I need you. So no giving up, alright?"

"Alright Mommy."

Zelda hugged Sarah, and then set her down, "Now, you should go into your room and rest. I have to keep getting ready for work, okay?"

"Okay," Sarah said, looking a little down, but she complied. Such a good girl, Zelda thought. She only wished that she could do more for her.

When Sarah left her room, Zelda sighed and walked over to her closet, pulling out her work uniform. It was a black maid's outfit with a white apron. The skirt was impossibly short though, and with as full figured as she was the top of the uniform showed an almost indecent amount of cleavage.

After putting on the indecently skimpy uniform, she went to Sarah's room to check on her. She was sitting in her bed, hugging her stuffed bunny rabbit.

"Will we be able to eat dinner together tonight?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, definitely," Zelda said sitting down next to Sarah, "I'll do extra work through the day so I can come home early enough to eat with you before my second job."

Sarah hugged her bunny tightly, "Mommy, you always look so tired when you come home, and sometimes you look hurt. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I'll be fine," Zelda said kissing Sarah on the forehead, "Now, let me give you your medicine before I go, okay?"

"Okay," she all but groaned. Zelda knew that she hated the taste of it, but she always took it, as it was the only way she could get better. She went into the first aid cabinet and pulled out a small vial of green liquid.

"Hm... almost out..." Zelda said, seeing that she had only two vials left, "I'll have to get more tomorrow. Hopefully you won't have an attack today."

"Should I take the last one if I do have an attack?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Zelda said instantly, "I'll leave the last vial here next to your bed, so try to not leave your room unless you have to."

"Yes Mommy," Sarah said obediently, coughing a few times afterward. Zelda gave a sad smile and handed one of the vials to Sarah. She drank the green liquid quickly, and then stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Good girl," Zelda said hugging her daughter, "Try and get some rest, okay?"

"Okay Mommy," Sarah said lying in her bed, "Have a good day at work."

Zelda gave an inward sigh and then smiled, "I'll certainly try."

Zelda gave her daughter one last kiss on the forehead, and then walked to the front door, where a pair of black high heels waited for her. She put on the high heels, grabbed her dark blue trench coat, and then walked out the front door, into the dark world outside.

It was here that the real Zelda came out. Lost was the light in her eyes, gone was her smile. Instead, a hardened expression appeared on her face, her eyes becoming dark much like the world around her.

"For Sarah," Zelda said taking a deep breath, "All for Sarah."

She sauntered off toward the train station. As she walked, she noticed the dirty looks she got from the people around her. Though she, like everyone else in the lower quarter, was a Class B Citizen, due to her two jobs she lived better than most people in the lower quarter. Not enough to live in the upper quarter, but enough where she and Sarah could live in peace.

It was a shame though that people were so petty.

"Whore!" one woman shouted, throwing a tomato at Zelda, who moved her head to the side out of the way.

Some people shoved her as she walked, one woman even pushing her into a wall. People called her names like "whore", "slut", "gold digger", all because they knew what she had to do in order to continue living the life she had.

Not once did she retaliate. Sure, she was doing it for Sarah, but it didn't change the fact that they were right. Still though, if they only knew why she did that to herself.

"I bet none of them are even mothers..." Zelda said shaking her head.

Once she got on the train, she was subjected to the second thing that made her life hard. The women hated her, but the men were just as bad. They stared at her, constantly undressing her in their minds. She wore these long coats to cover her skimpy attire her "master" forced her to wear, and yet she still managed to get cat calls, whistles, and pinches on her butt from every man that passed her way.

Did she look that good?

She got off the train and walked to the checkpoint, a large gate that was usually closed off. There were two guards standing watch, but thankfully they knew Zelda, and were actually nice to her. Both guards wore the same red and gold uniform, the cap covering their eyes. These were Olympus soldiers.

"Frances, Marshall," Zelda called out.

"Good afternoon, Zelda," Frances said, "Heading out to work?"

"Yeah, going to see Jude. God he's a mess," Zelda said shaking her head.

"He does seem like it," Marshall said, "Since it's just you we'll let you through without showing ID."

"You guys don't have to do that," Zelda said, "I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Ah, it's fine," Marshall said, "Frances, open up the gate."

"On it," Frances said walking over to the control panel, "So, how's Sarah?"

Zelda sighed looking aside, "She's not getting any better, _and_ we're running out of her medicine."

"That's tough," Marshall said, "Hey, are you sure you don't want any help? We've got connections after all."

"I appreciate it," Zelda said, "But I'm not letting you two ruin your jobs for little old me. I'm a big girl. Besides, not only would you guys get in trouble, but I'd be connected to the military for the rest of my life. Sorry, but you two are the only ones in the military I actually like."

"Well, just be careful," Frances said, "And gate open."

The gate opened, revealing what looked like a section of cyberspace. Inside was a glowing circle on the ground.

"Have a good day at work," Marshall said.

"I'll certainly try," Zelda said walking onto the large circle. When she stood on it, she felt her body float up a bit, and in a white flash she was transferred to the upper quarter, which was very nice and bright looking.

Here the high class lived in luxury, and looked down on the people of the lower quarter. The only reason she herself was allowed here was because she had a job up here.

"I wonder what sort of degrading work he'll have for me today," Zelda said, remembering the time when Jude made her act as a foot stool. He payed well, but it was humiliating having to be his slave, being forced to please him in _any_ way he wanted.

_For Sarah..._

_All for Sarah..._

* * *

"Oh Jude, that sounds absolutely marvelous!" one of the partiers said.

"I know," Jude said arrrogantly, waving his short blond hair to the side, "Hm, we're out of drinks. Oh slave! Slave, come over here!"

Zelda walked in as best as she could. She explained to Jude that she wanted to get home at a decent hour in order to make dinner for Sarah. Unfortunately her "master" was hosting a party today. Even though the party would end at a good time, he just _had_ to find a way to make it humiliating for her. Since she wouldn't be able to stay after, he found another way to get his rocks off.

Which was why she had to serve drinks with her arms tied to a bar wedged horizontally behind her, her wrists tied together, a ball gag in her mouth, and shackles on her ankles to prevent her from running away. Not that she would though. Jude payed well, and she needed the extra money for Sarah's medicine.

_That doesn't change how embarrassing this is..._

"Slave, go into the kitchen and get three more martinis for my guests," Jude ordered. He was lucky she couldn't talk, because she wanted to say "Fuck off". Instead, she simply bowed as best as she could and sauntered over to the kitchen.

When she got in, she saw another maid waiting for her, her uniform nowhere _near_ as skimpy as the one Zelda was forced to wear, and she wasn't tied up. Then again, _she_ wasn't from the lower quarter.

"Lord Jude wants more drinks?" the maid said. Zelda gave a small nod as the maid ran off. As she waited, she heard some of the other servant girls behind her.

"That woman is from the lower quarter, isn't she?"

"I bet she feels awful, whoring herself out like that. Lord Jude is only doing this because she's a B Class Citizen."

"Well, personally she shouldn't even _be_ here, so she should count herself lucky."

Not like they were any better, Zelda thought. They had to work here in order to _stay_ living in the upper quarter. As far as Zelda saw it, they were worse than she was.

"Here are the martinis," the maid from earlier said running back, "Please be careful, wench. I'm docking these from your pay if even a drop is spilled.

How the hell am I supposed to _not_ spill a drop, Zelda thought. This position was awkward, and she couldn't stabilize the tray. The only way she could not spill these was if she walked _really_ slowly, but if she took too long she would have to hear Jude's mouth.

She lost either way...

Zelda nodded and began walking back, a nice even pace as to not spill anything. She avoided most of the other partiers, but she could feel them staring at her.

_God... do I look that ridiculous?_

When she reached Jude, he turned his nose up at her, "About time, slave," Jude said taking his drink, "give the others to my friends here."

His "friends" were a nice looking man with shoulder length dark brown hair wearing a black and white tuxedo, and a really pretty woman with really long and full blond hair wearing a fancy blue and pink dress that hurt Zelda's eyes a bit. Both the man and woman had the same piercing red eyes.

"Prometheus," the man said, "It's pleasure to meet you, miss."

"There's no need to acknowledge dreck like her," Jude said, "She's a B Class."

"Maybe so," the woman said, "But there's no reason to be unkind. My name is Pandora. I'm Prometheus' sister."

Both of them took their drinks from Zelda, and she bowed to them, wishing she could tell them her name. They were the first two people in the upper quarter who were remotely nice to her, and as it was, she probably would never see them again.

Jude apparently didn't like all the attention she was getting, because he chose that time to sabotage her, with a sudden shove forward. That shove caused her to fall right into Prometheus, making him spill his drink right on Pandora.

"Pandora! Are you okay?" Prometheus asked.

"I'm fine," Pandora said with a groan, "This isn't the worst thing that could-"

"Slave!" Jude said pulling Zelda aside, "You ruined my friend's favorite dress!"

"This is hardly my favorite-" Pandora spoke, just to be cut off.

"I'm going to have to punish you immediately," Jude said. Zelda's eyes were wide with shock. He liked punishing her, but to do so in front of all of these people?

"Jude," Prometheus said, "I hardly feel that-"

"Come with me," Jude said, pulling Zelda to the couch. He sat down on the couch and bent her over his knee.

_Oh God... he is..._

"You stupid _klutz_!" Jude said slapping poor Zelda on the rear, "I take you _in_," another slap, "Give you a job out of _pity_," another slap, "And _this_ is the _thanks_ I _get_!"

After all three of those slaps, Zelda found herself unable to hold in her tears. Not from the pain, but from the mortification. She was absolutely defensless, unable to do anything but take this punishment. What was worse was how those around her reacted as he continued to spank her.

"Such a low class individual!"

"I don't even know why Jude keeps her around."

"That bitch is worse than the stain on poor Pandora's dress!"

After he was done, Zelda looked up at Prometheus and Pandora. While most of the people there seemed to enjoy seeing her suffer, those two seemed different. Prometheus frowned looking at the scene, and Pandora folded her arms under her bosom looking away in disgust.

"Now," Jude said grabbing Zelda by the cheeks, "Have you learned your lesson, wench?" she had no choice. She had to nod, making Jude laugh arrogantly, "Now go into the back and get another drink for Prometheus."

"Actually," Prometheus said suddenly, "I can go fetch my _own_ drink. Sister, can I get you a napkin?"

"Yes brother, I would like that," Pandora said. Jude just threw poor Zelda onto the floor, so Pandora went over to her to help her.

"Why would you want to touch that," another woman said, "Even Jude is washing his hands."

"She's not dirty," Pandora said helping Zelda up, "Besides, she can't exactly stand up herself tied up like this," she looked at Zelda with a soft expression, despite how piercing her red eyes were, "Don't worry about it, ma'am. I know it was an accident."

Zelda nodded, looking down. She _so_ wanted to talk to this woman, introduce herself, ask what she did, actually _mingle_, which was something she had never wanted to do. Even the other maids were allowed to mingle, all she could do was stand there and serve drinks, despite being an actual _person _herself.

Pandora must have sensed her plight, for when Jude returned she turned to him, "Jude, what is this servant's name?"

"It doesn't matter what her name is," Jude said dismissively, "Like I said, she's a B Class citizen from the lower quarter I took pity on."

"She's _still_ a human being, and I want to know her name," Pandora said glaring at Jude, "I'd ask her, but she can't exactly _speak_ for herself, now can she?"

Zelda's heart was racing looking at this woman. Something about her didn't seem... right. She seemed like a virus in human form. However she looked at Jude, he gulped and looked away.

"Her name is Zelda or something like that," he said, trying to hide how afraid he was.

"Zelda, is that your name?" Pandora asked, Zelda nodded in response, "Well, thank you for the wonderful service, Zelda."

Zelda gave Pandora a curtsy, actually _wanting_ to show this woman some respect. Prometheus walked back, lightly brushing Zelda's arm as he went to his sister.

"Do you want to stay?" Prometheus asked.

"Actually, yes, I do," Pandora said, "I've finally found some company I prefer," she looked right at Zelda.

"My, looks like you made a new friend," Prometheus said, taking Zelda's bound hand and planting a small kiss on it. Based off the gasps from everyone, and the look on Jude's face, this was absolutely appalling.

Yet Zelda couldn't help but blush looking at Prometheus.

"Any friend of my sister's is a friend of mine," Prometheus said, making Zelda's heart race. Oh, how she wished she could speak right now, then she could-

"Slave, why don't you see if the other guests need drinks," Jude said suddenly, giving her a look that reminded her of her place. Sadly, if she wanted to keep this job and provide for her daughter, she had to comply.

_For Sarah..._

Zelda bowed to Jude, and walked off, going into the kitchen. As she continued her work for the day, she couldn't get those two out of her head.

_Prometheus and Pandora..._

* * *

SMACK!

"You stupid bitch!" Jude shouted after the party ended and all the guests left, "Embarrassing me in front of my guests!"

"I-I-I'm sorry..." Zelda said, knowing it wasn't her fault, but she still had to apologize. If she didn't who knew _what_ Jude would do?

"Do you know who those two were?!" Jude asked, "Of course you don't. You aren't smart enough to know how important Prometheus and Pandora are. Just know that those two were _very_ important guests, and thanks to YOU show boating at the party I lost their respect!"

Zelda was tempted to say that it was all _his_ fault, but if she said that, he might...

"I said I was sorry..." Zelda said trembling, trying her hardest to control herself and not break down.

"I have enough mind to not pay you at all for this," Jude said, scaring Zelda to know end.

"No!" Zelda cried running up to him, "Please, I need the money! Sarah is running out of medicine, and my check from the diner doesn't come in until later in the week!"

"Why should I care?" Jude said pushing Zelda off him and onto the ground, "She's a B Class too, just like her whore of a mother. If she dies, then that's one less person to steal air from us _real_ people."

This wasn't happening. This _wasn't_ happening. Sarah could have had an attack between now and the end of the week. If she did, then she wouldn't have enough medicine to keep her healthy. The thought of Sarah dying was too much for Zelda.

"I'll do anything, I swear!" Zelda said from the ground, "Anything at all, just please pay me!"

"Hm... anything?" Jude said raising an eyebrow. Immediately a small part of Zelda wished she hadn't said that, but if it was for Sarah, she meant it. Instead of taking it back, she stood up and nodded, unable to look Jude in the eyes, "Well then, I suppose I can arrange... something."

Jude grabbed Zelda and bent her over the table, holding her back down preventing her from standing up as he reached down, putting his other hand right on her rear.

"Seeing you tied up like that got me all hot and bothered," Jude said, "And since I'm paying you for your... services... you wouldn't mind doing something about that, would you?"

"N-not at all Jude..."

Not at all _what_?" Jude asked, grabbing Zelda's long blue hair and pulling it.

"Not at all... M-Master..." Zelda corrected. Jude then began the horrible deed, each second that went by Zelda felt herself die more and more, but it was for a good cause.

_For Sarah..._

_All for Sarah..._

* * *

Jude was done with her for the night, which thankfully wasn't over. This meant she could still make it in time to eat dinner with Sarah. Even better, the money she got for the night was just enough to get Sarah's medicine. She'd place a rush order first thing in the morning.

As she approached the checkpoint, she got her ID ready, since these guards weren't Frances and Marshall.

"ID please," one of the guards said. Zelda flashed him her ID, and he nodded, "Open the gate for her."

The guard saluted, and a few seconds later the gate opened. Zelda walked as fast as she could through the gate, transferring back into the lower quarter.

When she arrived, she saw a group of soldiers firing at a large white mechanical dog monster. A virus, and a high level one. The beast roared loudly at the guards, but they fired at it a few more times until it fell to the ground dead.

"Why those things only appear in the lower quarter I'll never figure out," she said to herself, shaking her head as the Olympus soldiers finished off the virus.

The train ride was as long as ever, but Zelda was in her own little world at the moment. She had detached herself from the situation, and had yet to reattach herself back to the real world. As such she didn't hear any of the shouting from those around her, nor did she notice the looks she got. The only thing on her mind was getting home.

When she got home though, she heard moaning.

"Sarah?" Zelda called out. She ran into the kitchen and saw a sight that scared her to death.

Sarah was lying on the ground, holding her head in pain.

"Sarah?! Sarah!" Zelda shouted running over to Sarah. When she looked at Sarah, she saw red numbers running across her eyes. It was an attack.

Zelda immediately picked Sarah up and took her to her bed lying her down. She thanked God she hadn't taken the extra vial from earlier. Zelda took the vial and opened it, handing it to Sarah.

"Here honey, take it. It'll make the pain go away," Zelda urged. Sarah opened her mouth so Zelda could give it to her, and after a few seconds the red numbers vanished.

"It doesn't hurt anymore..." Sarah said weakly.

"Oh Sarah..." Zelda said, hugging her daughter.

"I'm sorry Mommy. That was the last one too..."

"Don't worry about that. I'll get more," Zelda looked into Sarah's eyes, "I'm just happy I got home in time. Now, you should lie down and get some rest. I'll make you some soup, okay?"

"Okay Mommy," Sarah said lying down. Zelda got up and began walking to the kitchen, "Mommy?" Sarah called out, stopping her.

"Yes Sarah? What is it honey?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted to make something really nice for you when you came home, but I had an attack, so I won't be able to eat it with you."

Zelda took a deep breath as to not cry, "I'm sure it's going to be delicious regardless. I'm going to make that soup for you, and then enjoy the wonderful meal you made for me, okay?"

"Good," Sarah said snuggling next to her stuffed bunny.

Zelda walked into their small dining room, and saw a nice plate of pancakes on the table. It was dinner now, and these were breakfast food, but these were the only thing Sarah knew how to make besides eggs. Next to her plate, Zelda saw a note written in sort of sloppy hand writing, and bad grammar, but still legible.

_Your the bestest Mommy in the world. I luv u._

That did it. All of Zelda's shields dropped at that moment. She had no idea what she had to go through, what she did for her, how hard she had to work. Yet she never complained, not even when she came home late.

She worked two jobs, had to let people take advantage of her, face the horrible people around her, and even whore herself out to her boss and some of the soldiers of Olympus. Sarah didn't know, nor would she ever know, how far Zelda had to go to keep her safe and well.

_For Sarah..._

_All for Sarah..._


	2. A Mother's Hardship pt 2

**Once again I want to warn you, this isn't a typical Mega Man story. This story is darker than most. The events in this chapter are pretty heavy, but I tried to portray it in a way that is still T for teen, without losing the meaning of it.**

A Mother's Hardship pt 2

_The next day..._

One thing she was thankful for concerning Jude was that she wasn't expected to report in _every_ day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were the days she had to go to the Upper Quarter and work for Jude. Tuesdays and Thursdays she just had to go to Eddie's, the diner she worked in.

The pay wasn't great, but it payed well enough. Since it was Thursday, she could rest for most of the day and prepare herself for the long walk to Eddie's, which wasn't _as_ bad as working for Jude, but it was still pretty frustrating, especially since she had to work there _everyday_.

As she sat down on the couch, she closed her eyes, thinking of the events from yesterday. Thanks to Jude she didn't get to talk to Prometheus or Pandora, and she was curious as to who they were. Prometheus seemed sort of charming, and Pandora was oddly friendly for someone with very fancy tastes in clothing.

Yet both of seemed so... otherworldly.

"I wonder if they're associated with Olympus..." Zelda said to herself. She looked at the TV, where Sarah was sitting in front of watching it, "Sarah, honey, don't sit so close to the screen."

"Yes, Mommy," Sarah said obediently, immediately getting up and sitting next to Zelda, "This is my favorite spot anyway."

Zelda smiled, knowing that she meant sitting next to her. Looking at Sarah like this, it was easy to forget that she wasn't well.

_Ding Dong_

"That's probably the mail Hertz," Zelda said getting up, "I'll be right back."

Sarah nodded as Zelda walked to the front door. Their house wasn't very big, but it was bigger than most places in the lower quarter. When she opened the door, she saw a funny looking entity with a light blue body, no arms, but a cheerful disposition. Next to it was a parcel, and hovering in front of it was a clip board. This was the Mr. Hertz that took care of the mail.

"GREETINGS, MA'AM," the Mr. Hertz said, "YOU PUT IN A RUSH ORDER FOR MEDICINE FOR THE XENO VIRUS, CORRECT?"

"Yes, that's me Mr. Hertz," Zelda said, "Do I need to sign that?"

"YES PLEASE," Mr. Hertz said. Zelda grabbed the clip board and signed her name, but the Mr. Hertz looked at it and frowned a bit in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked.

"YOU ONLY SIGNED YOUR FIRST NAME," Mr. Hertz said handing the clip board back.

"Ah, you must have been installed recently," Zelda said, "I didn't put in my last name because I don't know it."

The Mr. Hertz, confirming that it was new, looked really shocked hearing that, "AS IN, YOU HAVE AMNESIA?"

"Partial," Zelda explained, not wanting to go into her story, or lack there of as it were.

"MISS... I'M TERRIBLY SORRY," the Mr. Hertz said looking genuinely concerned.

"It's nothing. Just know that if you bring anything here, I'm allowed to sign with just my first name, alright?" Zelda picked up the medicine, "Have a good day."

Before the Mr. Hertz could say anything else, she shut the door. She didn't want to be mean. In fact, she really liked Mr. Hertzs because they were always so friendly. She just didn't like thinking about things that made her sad. She lived in the lower quarter for God's sake, that was depressing enough.

"Sarah, your medicine came," Zelda said walking into the living room. Sarah was deathly silent, looking at a commercial for some sort of machine that healed any wounds. Could it heal the Xeno Virus? Zelda doubted it, but she'd never find that out anyway.

There were some things that you needed to live in the upper quarter to get, and that was one of them.

"Mommy," Sarah began, "What's it like in the upper quarter?"

"The upper quarter, huh? Well, the houses are usually really big and really nice. The people all dress in fancy clothes, and the machines are state of the art, so no one ever gets anything beyond a cold or the occasional fever."

Sarah looked down for a second, and then looked up at Zelda hopefully, "Do they have a machine up there that can cure _my_ illness?"

"I wish they did," Zelda said sitting down next to Sarah and opening the box, "Sadly this is the best they can do," or _would_ do, Zelda thought to herself darkly. She would never tell Sarah the truth about what was really wrong with her. That she was...

"It's a shame things aren't like the way they were in the old days," Zelda continued, pulling out a vial.

Sarah took the vial that Zelda handed her, and drank the medicine in one quick gulp, "What did people do then?" she asked.

"I don't really know exactly," Zelda stated, "But I heard that a lot of illnesses we deal with now weren't a problem at all in the old world. People had machines then that could heal just about anything."

"Anything?" Sarah asked dreamily, making Zelda laugh a bit.

"Yes, sweetheart, anything. Sadly, those machines probably don't work anymore."

"Why not?"

"Oh, they just stopped working just like anything else that becomes old and rusty. There might be a few old machines that still work in the ruins," Sarah's eyes lit up, and Zelda held her hand up stopping her, "_But_ those ruins are extremely dangerous. Generally no one is even allowed inside them. Besides, those ruins are filled with viruses."

Sarah sighed looking down, so Zelda pulled her into a loving embrace, "Cheer up, honey. I promise, if you keep taking your medicine then you'll be fine."

It seemed like Sarah accepted that, even though she sighed a second time. She and Zelda continued watching TV until it was around time for Zelda to go to work. Now donning her still skimpy waitress uniform for Eddie's, she sat down in front of the mirror applying a little make up.

"Seems like I'm always having to show my body," Zelda said to herself, "Oh well, if it gets me work, then I'll deal with it."

Finished with her make up, she went to Sarah's room, where she saw her daughter sitting on her bed and looking at a book on ancient ruins.

"That's a heavy read," Zelda said, catching her daughter's attention.

"It's not that hard if I read slowly," Sarah said.

"Since when did you care about ancient ruins?" Zelda asked sitting down next to Sarah.

"Since our talk from earlier," Sarah explained, followed by two coughs, "I wanted to know how many ruins there were in the world."

"I see," Zelda said, thinking it was odd, but deciding not to read into it, "Well, I'm going onto work. I might be coming home late, okay? I left some soup in the fridge, so if you get hungry heat that up in the microwave, alright?"

"Yes Mommy," Sarah said, hugging Zelda, "Have a good day at work."

Zelda gave her usual inward sigh before responding, "I'll most certainly try."

Zelda kissed Sarah on the forehead, and then walked over to the front door. This time she put on a pair of red high heels, which seemed to go well with the light blue waitress uniform she wore and compliment the red lipstick she opted to wear tonight.

Once outside, she sighed to herself again, this time walking down toward Eddie's. It was a sort of rundown diner that was run solely by people in the lower quarter, but was paid for mainly by the soldiers of Olympus that frequented the place. It was here that she had originally met Frances and Marshall. Even though their uniforms covered their eyes, she could always tell when it was them.

Still, she did wonder what they really looked like.

As she walked, her thoughts continued to flow toward Prometheus and Pandora. It was a shame that she'd only meet them through Jude. He would probably do _everything _in his power to keep her from talking to them, and to portray her as just a huzzie from the lower quarter.

Sure, she _was_ sort of a huzzie from the lower quarter, but she was a lot more than that. Well, at least in her mind she was. Being a mother made up for all her poor qualities in her eyes.

When Zelda walked in, she was pleased to see that the Olympus Soldiers hadn't come in yet. She saw her boss, Eddie, sitting by the counter looking bored as usual. He was a gruff, no nonsense old man who had seen all the problems in the world.

"Hi Eddie," Zelda said. Eddie turned to her and nodded as a greeting.

"Surprised you came at all," Eddie said, "Ya had one hell of a time here last night."

"I need the money," Zelda said with a shrug, "Besides, Jude does worse to me. Mostly the guards just can't keep their hands to themselves."

"Well, try to not make a scene again," Eddie urged, "Seriously, I need this place a little more than you do, and those guys could have me fired and thrown onto the streets."

In other words, if the guards decide to get all touchy feely with you, let them do as they please, Zelda thought. That was the reason she hated this job, and cursed whoever decided to make her every man's dream woman, at least to screw.

"Got it," Zelda said sarcastically, "If anyone tries to pull me into the bathroom and take advantage of me, I won't scream _as_ loud this time."

Eddie shook his head, muttering something about "that mouth", but waved her off to get to work. Contrary to how he acted, Zelda knew that he liked her a lot. She gave life to the place, and attracted a lot of customers.

* * *

The night dragged on, slowly at first, but eventually it picked up once the soldiers came in. Zelda went to table five, where four Olympus men waited for her. As she walked, she silently prayed that at least one of them was either Frances or Marshall.

No such luck.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" Zelda asked, feeling sick when she noticed how the soldiers were looking at her.

"Honestly, I'd like a piece of _you_," one soldier said, getting laughs and pats on the back from his friends.

"I bet you would," Zelda muttered to herself, "Sadly I'm not on the menu tonight, now if you'd like to order something on the _menu_ I can provide that."

The man she spoke to initially looked a little hurt, showing that he was serious, but he then sighed and said, "Um, four specials, please."

"Alright, coming right up," Zelda said, sauntering over to the counter. She was fully aware that they were looking at her as she walked, but she wasn't in the mood to "play" with any of the customers tonight.

"Hey, four specials," Zelda said to the cook. He nodded and got to work immediately, as Olympus Soldiers had a tendency to get antsy when they had to wait.

She stole another glance at the table, noticing the conversation the guards were having. It seemed like the one she spoke to was a little irritated now, and his friends seemed to sympathize with him. A few minutes later, the four specials were put on the counter for her.

She nodded a thanks to the cook, and then made her way back to their table, making herself ready for anything at all.

"Here are your specials," Zelda said, "I hope you enjoy-" she stopped when she felt a hand caressing her leg. It was the soldier from before, "Um, sir, like I said, I'm not on-"

"Well, this blaster of mine seems to think differently," he said softly, taking out a blaster and rubbing it against the inside of her legs, "I probably should have specified that it was my birthday today, and I was hoping for a little _action_ tonight."

Still leaning over the table, she looked over to Eddie, silently asking him for help. Sadly, he turned his head, his way of saying "I didn't see anything". She understood, because like he said, this was his business, and they could take it away if they weren't pleased. It wasn't that he didn't care about her. His hands were tied though, just like hers.

Zelda was trapped. She had no choice but to comply.

"Damn it..." she said to herself, "Fine _birthday_ boy. Just tell me _exactly _what you want, and I'll do it," she said with a slight sultry edge, but with a hint of irritation she hoped they didn't catch.

No such luck.

"Well, I was thinking for starters, you could take the five of us into the back alley," he said, still rubbing his blaster up and down her leg, "Maybe let the four of us release a bit of stress?"

Wait, the _four_ of them?! Sure she was okay with one, but all _four_? She had to do these sort of things a lot, but even she had her limit. Still, one look from Eddie said she had to comply.

_They_ were Olympus. _They_ were from the upper quarter. _They_ could do whatever _they_ wanted to the people down here.

"Very well," Zelda said, "Let's go get this over with."

"Oh no," another soldier said getting up, and harshly taking her wrist, "We're going to take our _sweet_ time with you, Sweet Cheeks."

They guided her out of the back door. While she walked, she noticed some of the other waitresses looking at her, some in pity, and some in contempt, as she was known to seek these jobs for extra money. Okay, she was a prostitute, that didn't mean she _liked_ it. Also, _this_ wasn't a job she sought.

But if it kept her employed, kept Eddie from losing his place, and continued to bring extra money for Sarah, she'd do it. She'd do anything for Sarah.

_Forgive me, Sarah..._

_Mommy is about too sin..._

* * *

By the time they were finally done with her, it was time for her shift to end. Sadly the food was probably ruined, meaning they came _just_ for that. After they were done, they left her lying on the ground; her uniform torn almost beyond covering her, she was sore, tired, but most of all she felt dirty and used. That, sadly, was the norm for her.

She didn't get up, she _couldn't_ get up. She was broken to pieces again, and she had yet to repair herself.

The only thing that made this better was that the soldiers _did_ pay in the end. She almost didn't expect them to. In the end, it _was_ a job.

"Sarah..." Zelda said, tears in her eyes, "You'll be fine... for another week... Mommy always... provides..."

Even though there were tears, she didn't sob. She had to try and pull herself together, for the sake of her daughter. She'd have to do this again, so she had to get straight. Still though, she couldn't stand. She had no energy.

"Oh God! Zelda!" a familiar voice cried out. Zelda then felt someone lift her up and wrap a coat around her. Whoever this person was, they had a sweet scent, and they had a lot of blond hair. Zelda looked up and saw piercing red eyes looking down at her.

Pandora...

"Wh... what are..." Zelda asked.

"I come down into the lower quarter a lot to visit a friend," Pandora said putting her arms around her, "What happened to you?"

"Why do you care...?" Zelda asked, not to be mean, but she honestly wanted to know. This woman was from the upper quarter, yet she seemed to actually care about her.

Pandora smiled warmly, an expression that betrayed what sort of monster she might have been on the inside, "You and I are friends, Zelda. I said as much at the party."

Friend...? This was too good to be true. They had only met once, and she couldn't even give a solid impression of herself then, yet this woman considered her a friend?

"This isn't anything I'm not used too," Zelda said softly, "Besides, my daughter needs me. I'm all she has."

"You have a daughter?" Pandora asked, "I see. Even still though, that doesn't explain-"

"I don't have to explain myself to anyone," Zelda said, forcing herself to stand, "I'll do whatever I have to for my child, even if that means selling myself."

Zelda walked back into the diner. She needed to get her coat, clock out, and get home to Sarah. Just because she was dead inside, she couldn't die on the outside.

"Such devotion," Pandora said to herself, "Prometheus was right. She _is_ perfect for the blue light."

* * *

She walked with a sort of limb back to her house. God, did anyone know how to be gentle anymore? With as much as she put herself through it was a wonder that she could walk at all.

"Sarah?" Zelda called out, "Sarah, are you awake?" nothing, meaning that Sarah was probably asleep. Well, that was good. She needed her rest after all.

Zelda sat down in front of the TV, turning on the news.

"A recent outbreak of viruses was spotted near the northern ruins," the reporter said, "Residents of the lower quarter are urged to remain in doors for the rest of the night."

"Glad I came home then," Zelda said to herself, "Let the Olympus Soldiers handle them. They're the ones with guns."

After feeling okay enough to stand again, she walked over to the fridge, where she saw the soup for Sarah still there untouched. Had she opted to make something else?

Zelda looked around. No, she thought, there weren't any other dirty dishes present. So that would mean she went to bed early. She wouldn't have done that though unless she had an attack though.

Had she put a vial out for her just in case? She better check to see if she was okay.

Zelda walked into Sarah's room, getting the shock of a lifetime.

Empty.

"Sarah?!" Zelda called out running around the house, "Sarah! Where are you honey?" after a few seconds of searching, it was sadly clear that she wasn't in the house. Zelda was frantic. There were viruses running amok outside, and Sarah was out there all alone.

She _knew_ better than to leave the house without permission though. Also, she was usually so well behaved. She would only disobey Zelda is she felt that it was-

If she felt it was for a good cause...

"God no... No... Please no...!" Zelda cried going back into her room, noticing that the books were still there. She looked and saw that the book was opened on the Northern Ruins page.

"That's where the viruses are!" Zelda exclaimed, "Why would she..." she then remembered their talk from earlier, when she hinted that the machines of the old world might have helped her illness.

Her and her big mouth...

"I have to go find her!" Zelda cried out, completely forgetting the pain from earlier, and not thinking about the danger the viruses presented. Sarah was out there, surrounded by viruses.

She had to find her before _they _did.


	3. The Blue Light

**Now we get to the action. Enjoy!**

**Also, for those who remember Star Force Zero, if you remember who the surprise character is, you get a free cookie. There are actually references to four past characters in this chapter, so see if you can spot all of them.**

**Finally, check out some of EpicStar04's work on this site. He's someone very dear to me, and has written some really great stories. If you like Yugioh, then you'll love his story Prodigy, which should be the next series, I'm not even kidding.**

The Blue Light

Zelda ran as fast as her high heels could take her, thankful that she didn't run into any guards on the way. She didn't feel like dealing with Olympus a second time today. She'd have to find a way to get past the guards blocking the ruins, but she'd worry about that when she got there.

At the Northern Ruins, Zelda saw a sight that was odd. There were no guards blocking the path. At least, no guards _alive_. The only two guards looked like they were shot down with some sort of blaster.

"Sarah couldn't have..." Zelda said to herself. She was about to leave and search elsewhere when she looked down and saw a stuffed bunny lying on the ground. _Sarah's_ stuffed bunny.

"She is here..." Zelda reasoned, "Don't worry honey, Mommy's coming."

Zelda picked up the bunny and put it into her coat. She was about to run into the ruins but stopped when she heard a growl. She turned around and saw two viruses approaching her. These were the most comon viruses, white armored wolf monsters with red skin underneath. Their eyes were red, and their teeth were razor sharp.

"No..." Zelda said backing away. She wasn't a hero by any standards; no miraculous fighting prowess, no latent ability waiting to be awakened, and she didn't carry any weapons on her person. She was just a regular citizen from the lower quarter, so these things _would _kill her.

She looked down at the Olympus Soldiers, noticing a blaster that was still intact. It was small, like a hand gun, but it would work. She could at least drive them away hopefully.

Zelda ran to the blaster, picked it up right as the viruses charged toward her. Pointing the small gun forward, she fired at the viruses screaming. The two viruses hunched forward shielding themselves against the blasts, and eventually ran off.

"I better get inside before they come back with friends!" Zelda said, pocketing the hand blaster and running into the ruins.

The inside looked somewhat like an old laboratory or military base. On some of the walls Zelda saw an odd symbol. It looked like a golden cross inside three circles, and all of that in a hexagon. Holding her hand blaster up, she slowly made her way down the halls until she came across a clearing.

This room was _huge_! It looked like a old computer room. On the floor was a big logo that said "WAZA", whatever that meant.

"I wonder what this was in the past..." Zelda said looking around. On impulse she walked over to the old computer and pushed a button. Naturally it didn't work, but she was curious. Did Sarah come through here searching for a machine to heal her? If so, she must have gone deeper in.

"Damn it Sarah..." Zelda said to herself, "Please still be alive..."

Zelda rushed down into another hallway. Ahead of her were two viruses, and it looked like they were feasting on a body. Oh god, Zelda thought, please don't be...

Zelda pointed her blaster forward and fired at the viruses. It looked like they were about to charge at her, but she began firing at their faces, chasing them away. When they were definitely gone, she ran to the body. It was male, and whoever it was, they were wearing some sort of blue uniform that was armored.

"He doesn't look like Olympus..." Zelda reasoned. Maybe he was a separate branch of Olympus. If so, then what branch was he, and why hadn't she ever seen him before. Also, what was he doing _inside_ the Ruins?

Zelda shook her head and continued onward, going the opposite way the viruses ran. She prayed and hoped Sarah wasn't in that direction.

As she ran, she heard commotion ahead of her. She stopped and looked down a corner, where she saw flashlights shining. Someone _was_ here. She was about to step out, but one of the men turned around quickly and began firing at her. She covered her head screaming as the blast hit the wall behind her.

"Whoa! Frances, stop!" a familiar voice called out. Zelda couldn't believe her ears. She looked forward and saw two men standing there, both wearing the same blue armored uniform she saw before, only they were also wearing matching blue caps like a police officer would wear. The one with the gun pointed forward had short white hair with a green highlight, and the one who calmed him down had black hair with the same green highlight.

She couldn't believe it. They were Frances and Marshall, and they were _twins_.

"Holy..." Frances said lowering his gun, "Zelda? What are you doing here?"

Before she could answer that, Zelda fell to her knees trying in vain to catch her breath. Marshall ran over to her and held her.

"Zelda, are you okay?" he asked.

"No, I'm not!" Zelda cried, "Sarah's missing, I almost got eaten by viruses, and just now I almost got shot at! What are you two doing in here, anyway? Why are you wearing these weird uniforms?"

"Zelda, I..." Marshall began.

"What's going on back here?" A high yet authoritative called out. Walking back Zelda saw the strangest sight she had ever seen. She saw a young woman with really long and full pink hair, green eyes, wearing a blue and white variation of the uniform Frances and Marshall wore, only hers had a long jacket that she wore like a cape, a short tight blue mini skirt, white high heeled boots, and the top of her uniform was only buttoned half way, showing a good amount of her ample cleavage and a bit of the red bra underneath. She had on red lipstick, and the odd thing about her was that she had a _tail_! It was long, and bushy, and she seemed to even have white cat ears coming out of the top of her cap.

"What the hell..." Zelda said, thinking that _now_ she had to be dreaming.

"Captain," Frances said saluting the young woman, "I accidentally fired on a civilian. It was my mistake."

"Mistakes happen, meow," the young woman said, perfectly serious even though she literally "meowed" at the end of her sentence. She woman sauntered over to Zelda, and knelt down to her. When she laid eyes on her though, she looked shocked for some reason.

"Y-you!" she said, looking as if she saw a ghost.

"Um..." Zelda was so confused right now. She would remember ever seeing a woman like this before, yet this woman had acted like she had seen her.

"Angela, this is our friend Zelda," Marshall said, "She's a civilian from the lower quarter."

"You're sure she's from the lower quarter?" the woman, Angela, asked, getting a nod from Marshall, "Well, I apologize if I startled you. I'm Captain Angela Platz of Satellite," she held her hand out, "It's nice to meet you meow."

"Z-Zelda..." Zelda said taking her hand and shaking it. Everything was happening so fast right now that she couldn't take it. And for the love of god, why did this woman have a tail?!

"What are you doing in here?" Angela asked helping Zelda up, "It isn't safe in the Northern Ruins."

"I'm searching for my daughter," Zelda said, "She's in here somewhere."

"Your daughter?!" Angela exclaimed.

"Sarah's in here?!" Frances asked, "Why the hell is she here?!"

"It's partially my fault," Zelda said in shame, "I may have told her that the machines in the old world could have cured her illness. She always worries about me, so she must have figured she'd get better so I wouldn't have to work so hard," Zelda held her head in frustration, "I'm so STUPID!"

"Now now," Angela said softly, "You didn't know she would come here. Tell you what, we'll be on the lookout for her, so why don't you-"

"No!" Zelda shouted, "I refuse to be tied to the military! Even if you're friends with Frances and Marshall, I won't be indebted to someone who doesn't care about the lower quarter!"

Angela actually looked surprised, but she then closed her eyes and nodded in understanding, "I see what's going on here meow," she said, "You think we're with Olympus."

"She's only ever seen us in our Olympus uniforms, ma'am," Marshall explained, confusing Zelda a bit.

"Well, that explains everything," Angela said, "I assure you Miss, the three of us aren't with Olympus, meow."

"You aren't...?" Zelda asked, now her head was spinning. If they weren't with Olympus, then who were they with? And why were Frances and Marshall here?

"You see," Angela began, "Satellite is actually-"

CRASH!

The four of them turned around at that sound, and heard a rumbling approaching them.

"What the hell was that?!" Marshall asked.

"Virus!" Frances replied, pulling out a strange orange visor, "It's a big one too!"

"Damn it!" Angela shouted, "We haven't found the Cyber Heart yet!"

From the corner that Zelda came in from, the four of them saw the largest virus EVER. It took up the entire room, and it looked like a giant cobra. Like all viruses, it had white armor, but it was sleek and smooth, and the red skin underneath was mostly seen when it slithered or opened it's mouth.

Frances and Marshall ran forward and began firing at it, "Captain! Take Zelda and get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving until we find the Cyber Heart!" Angela demanded, "If Olympus gets this one, then everything my sister worked on will be in vain!"

Zelda had no idea what anyone was talking about anymore. What was a Cyber Heart? Who was Angela's sister? What did she mean by "this one". None of this made sense to her. The only thing that _did_ make sense was Sarah.

With a virus this big, she was in a lot of danger.

Zelda didn't care about anything anymore. She broke away from Angela and ran down the hallway.

"Zelda, wait!" Angela called out. She didn't know if Angela was following her or not, but she didn't care at the moment. This whole thing was spiralling out of control, and she had to hold onto one thing in order to not go crazy.

Sadly, the one thing that kept her from going crazy was _driving_ her crazy.

When Zelda turned a corner, she saw someone standing in front of her with their back turned.

"Who are..." Zelda asked, not ready to deal with anymore craziness at the moment.

"I've been waiting for you Zelda," another familiar voice said turning around. Zelda was shocked when she realized who it was.

Prometheus...

"Destiny has brought you to this place," Prometheus said, "Brought you and I together again. Tell me, how have you been?" Zelda couldn't answer, she just continued to stare at him in shock and confusion, "Ah, that's probably a hard one to answer. I suppose you've seen Satellite? Those fools who feel that power is a curse. Not us though, we're different, you and I."

"Different?" Zelda asked, her heart racing for some reason, "Sarah... where is Sarah?"

"You came here to save her, didn't you?" Zelda nodded, "Save her from what? The viruses? If you save her today, will her circumstances change? Will _your_ circumstances change? In the end, what will this action of motherhood really do for her? Save her until the next big danger comes her way.

"Do you know the difference between the people of the lower quarter and the people of the upper quarter?" Prometheus asked, pacing around Zelda, "No, it's not money. It's not social status. It's _power_."

"Power...?"

"The one thing everyone wants, but only a select few can truly claim. The people of the upper quarter have power, but they use that power to lord over the lower quarter. The people of the lower quarter wish for power, but they don't know how to get it, nor do they have the courage to rise up and grab it themselves. So what do they do? They attack others around them, making them feel smaller than they are, so they can delude themselves into thinking they have power."

"I don't want power though..." Zelda said softly, "All I want-"

"Is to protect your child, yes?" Prometheus continued, shocking Zelda, "Tell me though, how can you truly protect her? By sitting by and waiting for things to get better? By praying to some higher power who has long stopped listening, hoping that they'll step in and save both you and her? How is that protecting her?"

Zelda, as sad as it was, had to think about that. Everything she did for Sarah kept her well enough, but in the end she was still sick. Zelda couldn't ever make her better. Also, the people of the upper quarter didn't really care about her or Sarah. Jude was willing to let her die just because she wasn't anyone he knew or cared about.

Her circumstances would never change. All of a sudden, Zelda felt more hopeless than she had ever felt.

"Can you see it?" Prometheus asked, "You see the truth in what I'm saying, don't you? Tell me, what would you give for the power to take away all of Sarah's pain and suffering? To make a world where she would be absolutely safe?"

"Anything..." Zelda said softly, "I just want my baby to be happy and well..."

"Well then, come with me," Prometheus said, "Not only will I take you to your daughter, but I'll also grant you the power that you desire."

Zelda was about to walk over to Prometheus, but a blaster shot right next to Prometheus's head stopped her.

"Zelda, don't go with that man!" Angela shouted from behind her, "He's dangerous, meow!"

"The one who seeks to halt evolution," Prometheus said, "You're nothing but a relic of the old world. Naturally you wouldn't see the value of human evolution."

"What you preach about isn't evolution!" Angela shouted, "You're talking about corruption! Zelda, I know what he says makes a lot of sense to you, but you mustn't listen! Those who seek nothing but power are doomed to fall into darkness!"

"Evolution can't happen without power!" Prometheus retaliated, "Tell me Zelda, would you rather be another number without a voice, or would you rather be the biggest voice of them all?"

Zelda's heart was racing. What he was saying sounded so...

"Would you rather be the cattle that's herded off, or the shepherd that does the herding?"

"I... I..." Zelda stammered.

"Do you want to be someone who waits for God to intervene, or do you want to _be_ the God with the power to change things yourself?!"

When Zelda looked up at Prometheus, he didn't seem so calm. In fact, he almost looked insane. Yet for some reason, everything he said made sense. If she had power, if she were the God of her own world, she could make things so much better for Sarah, possibly even _cure_ Sarah.

"No!" Angela screamed, "Zelda, he's lying to you! The power he's talking about-"

"You stay out of this!" Prometheus shouted, pulling up his sleeve, revealing a gray machine sort of like a bulky watch, but it had a red jewel front and center, "I've had it with you getting in my way! Change! Mega Man!"

He thrust his arm forward, and there was a bright flash. When Zelda saw Prometheus again though, he looked completely different. He was now wearing some sort of gray body armor with sharp boots and matching gauntlets. A black, somewhat tattered cape flowed down his back, and on his head was a helmet that sort of looked like a hood but with a skull covering his eyes. He rested a large scythe with a blade made of energy on his shoulder, and he looked at Angela with an insane grin.

"P-Prometheus...?" Zelda stuttered.

"Behold the power of a God!" Prometheus shouted, "The power... of Mega Man!"

Prometheus raised his scythe and slashed with it, creating a large shock wave that almost hit Angela. Angela rolled to the side and began firing at Prometheus with her blaster, but he spun his scythe in front of himself to block the attacks. He then held his free hand forward and shot purple fireballs out at Angela, who ran all around the room on all fours.

Prometheus rushed over to Angela, and began slashing wildly at the young cat woman. Angela ducked, dodged, and rolled out of the way, but it was clear that she was completely outmatched.

"Damn it!" Angela swore, "I'm nowhere near strong enough to fight a Mega Man!"

Prometheus spun his scythe above his head as he approached Angela, "This is what you get for halting evolution! A relic like you has no place in the new world!"

Prometheus slammed his scythe onto the ground, almost hitting Angela, who once again rolled to the side out of the way. He ran after her slashing wildly at the quick footed cat girl, doing more damage to the hallway than to the girl.

Zelda was frozen in fear looking at them. Where did that armor come from? Why was Prometheus so strong now? Was that the power he was talking about?

Also, where was Sarah? Was she really safe with all of this going on?

Prometheus kicked Angela into a wall, and then turned to Zelda, "Do you see? This is the peak of evolution! Something that is both yet neither man nor Wizard! I want to share this power with you, Zelda. With it, no one will ever be able to hurt you or Sarah again!"

Before Zelda could even think of a response, there was a rumbling around them. Angela stood up and put her hand to her ear, "Frances! Report!"

"Captain, we're sorry! The virus got past us! It's on it's way over to you now!"

No sooner than he said that did the snake virus appear in the hallway. Prometheus turned to the virus and actually stood in front of Zelda defending her.

"Prometheus...?" Zelda asked. Her heart fluttered in a strange way when Prometheus turned to her and nodded, smiling. Despite how he spoke earlier, he was still Prometheus, and she could tell, he _cared_ about her.

The snake virus charged toward Prometheus and Zelda, but Prometheus picked Zelda up and jumped really high into the air. Being in Prometheus' arms made Zelda feel safer than she had ever felt in her life.

When they landed, Prometheus set her down and squeezed her hands, "You'll be safe."

He then charged over to the virus and slammed his scythe into it's head. The virus gave a high pitched scream, and then used its tail to hit Prometheus into the wall.

"Prometheus!" Zelda called out, surprising herself a bit. She had never worried so much about anyone except for Sarah. Angela forced herself up and looked at Zelda in shock.

"Zelda... are you...?"

The virus charged up energy into his mouth, and then turned to Zelda, who backed away in fear. Right before the virus fired at her, Prometheus pushed her to the side. She didn't get hit, but the blast was so big that the floor was destroyed. Angela managed to get through another pathway so she didn't fall, and Prometheus held onto the ledge.

Zelda wasn't so lucky on either accounts.

"ZELDA!" Prometheus shouted as Zelda fell to the floor below, screaming the whole way.

"Zelda, no!" Angela shouted. The virus, who also didn't fall, gave a loud cry as if in victory.

* * *

When Zelda woke up, she was in another hallway. She was sore, but surprisingly not too hurt.

"Ugh... how am I alive...?" Zelda asked herself. She stood up and looked around. The hallway was dark, and there was no known way out.

After the shock of it passed, she fell to her knees and cried hopelessly. In only a few hours, everything in her life was changed. She had no idea what anyone was talking about. Who did Frances and Marshall work for? What the hell was Satellite? Why did that Angela woman have real cat ears and a real tail? What was Prometheus talking about? Where did his armor even come from?

And where the hell was Sarah?

"I just want to find my daughter..." Zelda sobbed, "Sarah... where are you...? Someone, anyone, please help me."

_Over here..._

Zelda had to look up when she heard that. It sounded like a boy's voice. Whoever it was, they had to be only fourteen or fifteen, if that.

"Hello?" Zelda said looking around, "Is anyone here?" right when she realized that no one was there, she heard it again.

_She's safe with me..._

_Hurry..._

_Walk toward the light and you'll find us..._

Now she knew that she wasn't hearing things. The voice was soothing, and somewhat ghostly, but it was definitely the voice of a teenage boy. She heard the voice in her _head_ though.

Zelda took a deep breath, deciding she had nothing left to lose. She slowly walked down the dark hall, afraid of what she would find. As she walked, she saw a blue light in the distance. Was that who was calling her? Were they using that light to guide her?

Now that she had a destination, she picked up the pace a bit until she was almost running. The only sound as she ran was the light click of her heels hitting the floor under her. She had to have been running for at least fifteen minutes, but when she arrived at her destination, she found a large circular room with a floating blue device floating in the center.

And lying in front of it, was Sarah.

"Sarah!" Zelda cried running over to her. When she picked her up, Sarah opened her eyes weakly.

"Mommy..."

"Oh my god, Sarah!" Zelda embraced her daughter tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mommy... I couldn't find anything..." Sarah said weakly and sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Zelda asked softly.

"I wanted to find... a machine... that could heal me... that way you wouldn't... have to worry..."

"Oh Sarah..." Zelda said, any anger she would have had completely gone. She was just happy that Sarah was safe. Knowing _why _she did it only made her feel even sadder. She _so_ wanted to save her, but she knew that there was nothing to be done. Sarah was...

Zelda looked up at the strange floating device, finally getting a good look at it. It was similar to the device that Prometheus wore around his wrist. It was mostly blue, but it had a golden trim around the sides. There was a green strip going across it that sort of looked like a visor, and it had a white center almost where a mouth would be.

Sarah's cough took Zelda's attention, "Sarah! Are you okay?"

"Mommy... my chest hurts..." Sarah said holding her chest, still coughing. Zelda reached into her pocket, realizing that she forgot to bring a vial of her medicine. Why hadn't she thought to do that?!

Before she could do anything else, a low growl was heard outside, "No, no, no!" Zelda pleaded, once again cursing her horrible luck. A pack of wolf viruses was slowly approaching the room and entering it. Sarah's cough must have alerted them.

"I'm sorry, Mommy..." Sarah said coughing, "I made too much noice... I'm always making... things hard... for you..."

"Don't say things like that Sarah," Zelda urged, "I'll get us out of this!"

Zelda ran forward and pulled out her hand blaster. She then began firing at the viruses, hoping that they would run away like before. Sadly, these viruses just covered their faces, and continued to circle them.

She must have fallen into a virus nest.

"No! It can't end like this!" Zelda cried, noticing how the viruses hunched forward, ready to attack. She put her arms around Sarah, who was still coughing. This situation couldn't be any worse. There was no way they could escape. She was going to die. _Sarah_ was going to die.

This wasn't right. This wasn't _fair_.

"Help us..." Zelda cried, holding onto her daughter, "Someone, please help!" Zelda looked up to the ceiling, screaming out in desperation.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ME! JUST PLEASE, SAVE SARAH!"

"I can help you."

The floating device from before shot out a blue wave, sending the viruses back, but not killing them. Zelda looked around in awe, unsure of what happened but happy that it did.

"Mommy..." Sarah asked, "What happened?"

"I don't..." before Zelda could finish her sentence, the blue device floated out of it's field and over to Zelda.

"If you and I work together, we can get your daughter out of here," the voice from before said, but this time she didn't hear it in her head. She heard it from the _device_! It was somewhat digital sounding, but she was sure. It was the same voice that guided her to Sarah.

"What are you..." Zelda asked slowly.

"My name is Faiz, Cyber Heart of the Blue Light," the voice said. There was that word again. Cyber Heart.

"Cyber Heart...?" Zelda asked trembling. This was the thing that Frances and Marshall were looking for with that Angela woman. This was also the thing that Prometheus wanted her to get.

The viruses growled as they stood up slowly.

"Oh no," Zelda said backing away, "They're not dead."

"Lend me your body," Faiz urged, "We can save your daughter together."

"Why should I..." Zelda asked backing away from Faiz. She had no idea what this thing even was, nor did she know what it did.

"If you don't then you and your little girl will die!" Faiz said urgently. Zelda knew that he was right, but still...

"Mommy, it's okay..." Sarah said coughing a bit, "Faizie is good... He protected me from the viruses..."

"Faizie...?" Zelda said, knowing that Sarah only gave nicknames to people she really liked and trusted. She then looked at Faiz again.

"I promise, I won't force you to do anything against your will, but you have to trust me!" Faiz said. Zelda could tell, even if this odd machine didn't have a real face, she could hear it in his voice. He really wanted to help.

(Play Esperanto: Mega Man Zero 4)

Zelda's heart was racing looking at Faiz. She could almost feel a powerful force binding them. It was as if she were seeing a dear friend. She had never met Faiz before, but something in her heart knew that he could be trusted.

Zelda grabbed Faiz, and immediately put Faiz on her right wrist, a blue band wrapping him around her wrist.

"Activating MEGA System," Faiz said calmly, "Cyber-Link established. DNA and Wavelength of Cyber Unit now matched. Ma'am, I'm ready. You can now activate my power anytime."

Zelda stood up, suddenly feeling empowered. She could do it. She could protect Sarah. She moved Sarah behind her, and then glared at the viruses, knowing what to do on instinct. Not just because she saw Prometheus do it, but something inside of her knew exactly what to do.

"Change! Mega Man!" Zelda shouted, thrusting her arm into the air. She was engulfed in a bright light as a warmth came over her. She closed her eyes, allowing the comforting feeling consume her.

Her over coat, dress, and shoes all vanished as if turned into data of some sort. Immediately a skin tight, dark blue sleeveless body suit appeared on her body. Over the body suit appeared a long light blue armored jacket tied together by a fancy golden belt. Sharp blue and white shoulder pads and gauntlets appeared on her shoulders and wrists, and on her feet appeared matching armored boots that were high heeled and had red knee pads that were crystallized. On her face formed what seemed like a blue helmet, but as it was opened at the top for her hair to flow freely and was barely visible, it was more like a head band. On the center of the armored head band was a green gemstone shaped like a diamond, it had two red and white ear pieces that pointed up at a diagonal going back , and a green visor appeared over her eyes, ending the transformation.

When the transformation ended, the wave was still flowing around Zelda and Sarah, warding off the viruses.

Zelda held her right arm forward. Immediately it was engulfed in blue energy, and transformed into a sort of fancy looking blaster. She charged up energy into her new weapon, and fired a blue blast that sent one of the wolves back _really_ far.

The remaining viruses got really angry and charged at Zelda, but she picked up Sarah and jumped into the air. While still in the air, she fired at the viruses continuously, actually pushing them into the ground a bit and killing two.

She and Sarah landed near the door, and Zelda set Sarah down, "Stay here honey," Zelda said softly, getting a nod from Sarah. Zelda turned around as a virus ran over to them. Its face immediately met her fist.

"I haven't been having the best day today," Zelda said, "And right now, I'm really PISSED OFF!"

She pushed her fist into the virus, knocking it into a wall. She then turned around and fired at three more viruses with her charged up shot, killing them instantly.

"Faiz, what is this?" Zelda asked, hoping that Faiz could still talk to her.

"This is my power," Zelda heard Faiz say, his voice going directly to her ears now, "The armor you're wearing is my true form, called 'Awakened State'."

"You're the armor?" Zelda asked looking at the armor a bit. It sort of looked like something she would wear, as the coat was really long and almost touched the ground, and it even showed the top of her breats a bit, giving her a bit of sex appeal. Did Faiz alter the armor to match her style?

A roar was heard from outside. Zelda looked and saw the last virus, the one she shot first, now running back into the room toward Sarah.

"Leave her alone!" Zelda shouted. On instinct, jets on her feet activated shooting her toward the virus. She flew past Sarah, who just looked amazed seeing her mother fight, and kicked the virus, pushing it to a wall.

Zelda kicked off the virus, and then charged up her gun arm at full power. She then fired at the virus, killing it. Sarah ran over to Zelda, taking her hand.

"Mommy! You look so cool!" Sarah said happily. Zelda smiled softly to her daughter, and then looked up at the ceiling.

"Faiz, can you find a way out of here?" Zelda asked.

"If you take the pathway south there's a staircase going to the upper floor," Faiz explained, "Let's take that way out of here."

"Got it," Zelda said, picking up Sarah, "Ready honey?"

Sarah nodded hugging Zelda. With her daughter in her arms, and a new friend in tow, Zelda ran down the hall, this time her footsteps heavier and louder. She didn't know if it was okay for her too take Faiz with her, but she didn't care.

If she was going to get out of here alive, she'd need Faiz's power.

The power of a Mega Man.


	4. Legendary Cyber Heart Faiz

**I couldn't be happier with how this story is turning out. Even though this takes place in the same world as Star Force Zero, I don't plan on following the same format. A similar format, but not completely the same. Oh, and to add to the awesomeness of the story, I will now provide you with my head canon for the current cast:**

**Zelda: Cristina Vee (if you listen to her do Mu 12 from Blazblue it makes sense)  
Sarah: Christine Cabanos  
Faiz: Jason Spisak  
**

**Frances: Ted Lewis  
Marshall: Eric Stuart  
Angela: Lisa Ortiz**

**Prometheus: Crispin Freeman**  
**Pandora: Amanda Winn Lee**

**Jude: Yuri Lowenthal**

**I'll provide more cast names for more when more important characters are introduced.**

Legendary Cyber Heart Faiz

Frances and Marshall ran through the halls with Angela, turning every so often to fire at the snake virus still chasing them.

"Damn it," Marshall shouted, "Right when we _need_ a Mega Man, the only one here disappears!"

"Frances, anything on Zelda's whereabouts?" Angela asked.

"Nothing!" Frances said, "She must have fallen pretty far. My Visualizer can't track her at all."

"She's alive!" Marshall stated, still firing at the virus, "I'm sure of it! She's not going to die without finding Sarah!"

The virus stopped chasing them and turned back. It gave a loud cry/hiss and then slithered back, fading away in a red wave.

"That was weird," Marshall said.

"I wonder what-" Angela began.

"Holy... guys! I think I see Zelda!" Frances exclaimed, "But something's different."

"Different how?" Angela asked as she and Marshall walked over to Frances.

"First of all, she's not alone," Frances said, "I'm actually picking up two life signatures. One of them is young."

"She must have found Sarah," Marshall said, sounding relieved.

"But that's not all," Frances said, "She's moving way too fast."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, "Is she running or something?"

"She's too fast to be running," Frances said, "It's like she's flying or something. Also, if these readings are correct, Zelda's power level is off the charts."

Angela looked down thinking, and then got a horrible idea.

"Oh no..." Angela said, "That's not good meow..."

"Captain, you don't think Zelda found..." Marshall asked.

"We have to find her now before _they _do!" Angela stated, "This one can't fall into Olympus' hands!"

Frances and Marshall saluted, and the three of them ran down the hallway, each of them wearing orange visors like Frances.

* * *

Zelda only had Faiz's power for a few minutes, and she already learned quite a bit about it. Apparently the cannon on her right arm was called a "Buster Gun". Also, the jets on her feet could propel her forward at high speed. She couldn't fly with them, but that was okay.

"Sarah, how do you feel?" Zelda asked as they dashed through the hall.

"My chest still hurts a bit," Sarah said, "But I'll be okay."

"Zelda," Faiz said, "We need to hurry. There's a high level virus coming our way."

"Must be the snake from earlier," Zelda reasoned, straightening herself to a complete stop and looking around. Through the green visor now covering her eyes, Zelda could see what looked like a road of some sort above them. She knew what the Wave Road was, as it's existence became common knowledge along with the now materialized Mr. Hertz programs that managed certain businesses. Even though she knew what it was though, she had never seen it.

"Mommy? What are you looking at?" Sarah asked.

"I think Faiz is letting me see the Wave Road," Zelda said.

"Yes, that's my personal function," Faiz stated, "Through a power called "Visualize" I can show you the Wave Road at all times."

Zelda looked up at the Wave Road, noticing that there were certain pathways leading to different areas up there, "I wish we could just run on that," she said, halfway joking.

"Actually, that's not such a bad idea," Faiz said, "I can alter our wave frequency to match those waves, transferring us into the Wave World."

"And you didn't tell me this before, _why_?" Zelda asked.

"There weren't any Wave Roads above us," Faiz said, Zelda imagining that he would be shrugging his shoulders, "Sheesh, cut me some slack here."

Zelda shook her head smiling. She had a feeling that she and Faiz could become good friends, and she felt his somewhat absent mindedness was sort of endearing. Zelda picked up Sarah again, and both of them were engulfed in a light blue light going up. The light came down onto the Wave Road, which now looked solid and made of glass almost.

"Let's go!" Zelda said, now dashing forward on the Wave Road. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask Faiz, but those would have to wait until she and Sarah got out of here.

"Looking at this, she and Sarah are almost right above us!" Marshall said as he, his brother, and Angela ran through the halls.

"How did she get above us?" Frances asked, "She was on the floor below us a few minutes ago!"

"If she has Mega-Changed then it makes sense!" Angela said, "Mega Men can exist in both the Real World and the Wave World. She might be using the Wave Road to travel at high speed."

"Hey! I think I see her!" Frances said, pointing up. Through their Visualizers, they all saw something blue flying at high speed above them, "Zelda, wait!" Frances called out, but if it was her she didn't stop.

"Was that her?" Marshall asked.

"If it was then she did Mega-Change with the Cyber Heart!" Angela said, "Come on! We have to follow that blue light!"

"Yes ma'am!" Frances and Marshall saluted before all three of them ran after the blue light.

* * *

A loud hiss/cry made Zelda stop right in her tracks. She looked around frantically, still carrying Sarah.

"Mommy, what was that?" Sarah asked.

Zelda lightly shushed her daughter as she searched for their stalker. It had to be somewhere close by.

"Zelda, behind us!" Faiz shouted. Zelda turned around just in time to jump over the snake virus from before.

"These things can exist in the Wave World too?" Zelda asked.

"They originated here," Faiz explained, "They're simply altering their wave frequencies to match the Real World."

"Mommy, it's about to attack again!" Sarah screamed. Zelda dashed away from the snake, leading it out of the ruins. When she got outside, she saw that the Wave Road spread out into a small arena like area over the ruins.

"I think this is a good place," Zelda reasoned. She then set Sarah down, "Stay as far away from the fight as possible, okay?" Zelda commanded, getting an obedient nod from Sarah before she ran further back. Zelda turned around just in time to see the snake virus from before approaching her. It stopped and raised itself a bit sticking it's tongue in and out like a normal snake, yet somehow it looked like it was smiling a bit looking at Zelda, as if it had every intention to feast on her.

On her visor, she could see the word "COBRA" above it's head, along with a red bar. She assumed that was it's life or something.

"Faiz, think we can beat something like this?" Zelda asked, trying to still her beating heart.

"Not easily, but yes. My weapons should be sufficient. If your careful, we might come out of this alive," Faiz stated.

"Alright then, I'm counting on you Faiz. Entering Emergency Combat Mode!" Zelda shouted. Immediately a section of her headband/helmet/visor came down and created a blue mouth guard. At the same time the visor glew brightly on the outside so her eyes couldn't be seen.

"Ready... GO!" Zelda shouted.

Immediately, the Cobra shot out toward her. Zelda grabbed it's mouth and held it open, and then actually threw it to the side. As it got up, Zelda activated her Buster Gun and began firing at the Cobra. Her shots seemed to only do minor damage, but it did confirm that the red bar was the enemy's life.

This was going to be a long fight.

The Cobra opened it's mouth, and began shooting a green blast out at Zelda, who ran in a circle out of the way. As she ran she charged up her Buster Gun and fired point blank in the face.

"Okay, so the stronger blast does more damage," Zelda reasoned, "The red bar is it's life, and goes down when I do major damage to it," she looked closely at the bar and saw that it was slowly going back up, "Hm... enemies heal after a little while. So that means..."

Zelda jumped up a bit, activating the jets on her feet. She then charged over to the Cobra, punching it in the jaw and doing just as much damage as the charged up shot. She saw that the red bar went down a bit more, and while it was still trying to heal it would be longer before it hit where it was before.

"Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this," Zelda said landing in front of the Cobra, which was shaking its head in pain, "There has to be way to do more damage though."

"I think I have an idea," Faiz said. The Cobra lunged forward almost hitting Zelda, but she rolled to the side out of the way.

"Yeah? Well I'm all ears!" Zelda said as she ran away from another lunging attack.

"Do you see how it has that white armor covering it's body?" Faiz asked.

"I see it."

"Up until now we've just been attacking the armor. What if we attack it's body directly?"

"And how do you suppose we-" Zelda stopped herself when she turned around and saw it open its mouth, charging up for that green wave, "Never mind! I got an idea!"

She rolled to the side just in time to not get hit by the green wave. When the attack stopped, she tried firing into it's mouth, but it closed it before her shot could get in.

"Damn it!" Zelda swore, "I wasn't fast enough!"

The Cobra shot out toward Zelda, and whacked her with it's tail, knocking her back. When she got hit she saw a green bar at the left hand side of her visor go down a bit. That was _her_ life, she figured.

"Okay, so I'm guessing the green bar shouldn't go down much," Zelda said, happy to see that it was slowly going up too, "Red bar going down, good. Green bar going down, bad. Alright, I think I'm beginning to understand how this works."

She loosened up her arms a bit and got back in her fighting stance, now ready to get a little more aggressive. The Cobra shot out at her, but this time she was ready. While charging up her Buster Gun, she grabbed it's mouth again.

"Eat up!" Zelda taunted, firing her fully charged shot into it's mouth. That did a lot of damage, and even sent it flying back a bit.

"YEAH!" Sarah cheered, "Kick its butt, Mommy!"

She's cheering for me, Zelda thought to herself. This was the first time she had done anything for Sarah that she herself could be proud of. Sure, she worked hard for her, but most of that was degrading and unethical, and Sarah would be upset if she knew everything she did for her. This was the one time that she was doing something that she could actually feel good about.

_I'm her... hero now..._

All of a sudden, Zelda felt stronger than ever. She tightened her fist, which she didn't notice was sparking a bit with light blue electricity.

"Zelda, what is this power?" Faiz asked, "I feel like I'm getting stronger by the second!"

As a single tear fell from Zelda's eyes, she charged into the Cobra, knocking it further back. It sat up and tried to fire its green wave attack, but Zelda punched it in the jaw, hitting the exposed part. She then continuously punched it, doing massive damage.

She jumped away and looked up at the Cobra. It looked really pissed now, and was about to strike, but something sharp hit it, knocking it onto the ground. Zelda turned to the side and saw someone standing in front of Sarah. They were a woman who wore light blue body armor, and a white robe somewhat like a priestess. Her boots were white and high heeled, and she wore a blue metallic tiara on her long, full blond hair. She also had a long golden staff, which was pointed forward.

"Pandora?" Zelda asked.

"Now Zelda, finish it!" Pandora shouted. Zelda nodded and pointed her Buster Gun forward, charging it up as high as she could. The Cobra opened it's mouth and charged at her, but she fired right into its mouth, the blast going through it as its life bar hit zero. It disintegrated into red energy, not to be seen again.

Her blast now finished, Zelda fell to her knees as the mouth piece opened up and her visor cleared, "Great job, Zelda." Faiz said.

"I couldn't have... done it... without you... Faiz," Zelda breathed out, "Thank you."

Faiz chuckled, apparently proud that he could help. Their celebration was cut short though at the sound of Sarah's cough.

"Sarah!" Zelda cried, forcing herself up and running to her side. Pandora was on one knee holding Sarah as she coughed, "Sarah, are you okay honey?"

"Mommy... my head... hurts..." she said. As soon as she said that, red numbers started running across her eyes.

"No! Not an attack! Sarah, hang on!" Zelda urged.

"My god..." Faiz said in horror, "She's infected with..."

"Zelda, we have to hurry!" Pandora said suddenly, "What district is your place?"

"District three," Zelda stated in a shaky voice.

"Follow me! I know a short cut there!" Pandora said. Zelda nodded and immediately stood up, picking up Sarah and running after Pandora.

* * *

On the surface, Angela took off her Visualizer and shook her head in sadness, "Well, that does it. Pandora found her."

"I don't think it's over yet," Frances said, "The Administrator didn't say anything about recruiting another Mega Man."

"But you saw her go with Pandora," Marshall said, "Also, she was wearing Mega Man armor just now. I think we lost her."

"No... Frances is right meow," Angela said, her tail swaying back and forth, "She didn't seem like she was under anyone's influence. I don't think Pandora gave the Cyber Heart to her."

"So what? Did she find it by accident?" Marshall asked.

"If so she has some _bad_ luck," Frances said.

"Or good luck, depending on how this plays out," Angela said, "We'll keep her on surveillance for now. We need to know what the Administrator is planning before we can act."

"Yes, Ma'am," Frances and Marshall saluted. They walked off, but Angela looked up worried.

"A mother's love can be a powerful driving force, but it can also be easily manipulated. Sister, what should I do now?" she asked, wishing that _she_ could help her.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to get to Zelda's house, using the short cut that Pandora showed her. In fact, using that they were there in only a few minutes. Still in her Mega Man armor, Zelda sat down on Sarah's bed petting her head as she rested.

"Thank God we got here in time," Zelda said.

"Zelda," Faiz started, "She's infected with the Xeno Virus, isn't she?" Zelda's only response was to look down in sadness, "Red numbers appear in the victim's eyes, until they completely cover them at all times. If I recall, it's... fatal..."

"Damn it..." Zelda said softly, "I try, and I try, but no matter what I do it'll never be enough," tears streamed down her face as she continued, "I work two jobs that I hate, I sell my body to anyone willing to pay up front, all so I can have enough money to keep this house and afford her medicine, but it's not ever enough," she broke down completely, covering her face as she sobbed, "Even if I sell my soul to the devil, it's not going to save my child! She's going to die, and there's nothing I can do!"

"Oh Zelda..." Faiz said softly.

Pandora walked in as she cried, no longer wearing her armor, but instead wearing a fancy white cocktail dress and matching fur jacket, complete with white high heels too.

"Actually, now that you're wearing that armor, there might be something you can do," Pandora said, catching Zelda's attention.

"How can this armor help?" Zelda asked harshly.

"Well, not so much the armor, but the heart that formed the armor. Speaking of which, how long are you going to stay like that?"

Zelda looked at her now armored hands, realizing that she was still wearing it. Faiz said that this armor was his true form, but she hadn't learned how to change back.

"Ah, leave that to me," Faiz said. A second later, the armor was engulfed in a green light and broke off, condensing into the small wrist mounted device again. At the same time, Zelda's original coat and outfit materialized back on her in no worse condition than before.

"So you have to initiate the change back?" Zelda asked.

"Only you can initiate "Awakened State", but I'm the only one who can go back to "Sleep State"," Faiz explained.

"Can I get a closer look?" Pandora asked, referring to Faiz.

"Certainly," Faiz said, disconnecting from Zelda's wrist and floating over to Pandora. She looked at Faiz intently, nodding with a smile.

"I see," Pandora said after a second, "You're Faiz, Cyber Heart of the Blue Light, aren't you?"

"That's right," Faiz answered.

"Is Faiz special?" Zelda asked.

"Oh, he's very special," Pandora said, "We should count ourself lucky that you found him. I wonder if this is what my brother meant..."

"Prometheus? I ran into him briefly in the ruins," Zelda said, "I hope he's alright. We got separated after he protected me from the Cobra."

"He's fine," Pandora said, "He was the one who sent me after you. He was worried, and wanted to make sure you were safe."

Prometheus was worried about her? Zelda felt a little flushed thinking about that. She had never had anyone care about her, so for Prometheus to go so far, it really affected her.

"He mentioned something about wanting to give you the blue light," Pandora explained, "I had no idea that this one would be the legendary Cyber Heart. I really need to pay attention to my brother more..."

"Wait, Faiz is legendary? First of all, what is a Cyber Heart, and how this floating stop watch save my daughter?" Zelda turned to Faiz, "No offense Faiz."

"None taken," Faiz answered, "But I'm also curious about this. How can I save Sarah?"

"Now isn't the time to answer that," Pandora said. Zelda was about to protest, but Pandora held her hand up, "Not while poor Sarah is still resting. Your top priority right now should be tending to her. Besides, Prometheus tells the story much better than I do."

Zelda sighed looking back at Sarah, who was sleeping relatively peacefully. She then looked at Faiz, silently wondering if he _could_ rescue Sarah. Sure, he was powerful, and she would have died without his help, but she didn't see how something like him could cure Sarah's illness.

"I promise," Pandora continued, "We'll find you tomorrow and tell you everything. What the Cyber Heart is, what a Mega Man is, and how Faiz is the key to your daughter's safety."

Zelda looked at Pandora, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. She did want to help Sarah. Why though? She was a class A citizen. What happened here shouldn't affect her at all, so why...

"I don't get it," Zelda said, "Why are you going so far out of your way for me? I'm nobody."

"That's not true at all," Pandora said walking over to Zelda and taking her hand, "You're my friend, so that makes you somebody to _me_," Pandora turned around and walked to the door, "I'll see you tomorrow, Zelda."

Pandora walked out of the house, closing the door behind her. Zelda then turned back around to where Sarah was. She looked so peaceful right now, she probably didn't hear any of what they were talking about.

"Faiz, can you really save my daughter?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know," Faiz answered honestly, "Truth is, I don't remember much about my main function except how to Mega-Change. There's a possibility that what she says is true."

"If it is, then..."

"I'll do everything I can to help you cure Sarah," Faiz said, "I swear on the red star."

That put Zelda at ease a bit, but she was still really scared. She didn't know why, but something was telling her that she was about to open a door that was better left shut tight.

Oh well, if it saved Sarah, then she'd do it. She'd do whatever it took for Sarah. Even destroy Olympus.


	5. Saving Cinderella

Saving Cinderella

_The next day..._

For most people, Friday was their favorite day, as it was a day before the weekend. There wasn't really anything about Friday by itself that was different from Monday, or even Saturday. When one really sat down to think about it, Friday was a day, as was Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and every other day in the week.

This was the case even more so than most for Zelda. She worked at the diner all week, even on weekends. That was so she could continue to afford Sarah's medicine _and_ pay the bills for their house. She didn't _need_ to live in such a nice place, but she wanted Sarah to be comfortable. It was important that her little girl had the best Zelda could provide, and if that meant constant work with no breaks then so be it.

Fridays were her _least_ favorite days however. For one thing, she had to work for Jude on those days, so that in of itself was frustrating. Fridays however seemed to be the days Jude chose to _really_ take advantage of her. One time he made her stay on all fours the entire time and even bark like a dog. He even put her lunch in a red dogie bowl that said "B Class Slut" on the side, and forced her to wear a collar.

Another time he made her work the entire day close to him, but she wasn't allowed to wear any panties. With how impossibly skimpy her uniform was already, anytime she had to bend over or reach up high, she gave Jude a perfect view of her nether region. What was even more humiliating was that he made her cook dinner for him, but he was fingering her the entire time.

She knew Jude found her extremely attractive. That was the only reason she even got the job. On record she was his maid, but to Zelda, sex slave seemed more appropriate. Jude was an absolutely disgusting individual, and Zelda hated him.

Sadly, he paid even better than her work at the diner, and no one else would hire her. She had no choice but to stay with him.

"That should do it," Zelda said, finishing applying her make-up. When working for Jude, she learned to go all out for better pay. Along with her red lipstick she also put on indigo eye shadow. She turned around to Faiz, who was floating over her bed looking at her (she assumed since the part that sort of looked like a face was in front), "How do I look?"

"Very nice, Zelda," Faiz said, "Although, I'm still a little taken aback with how comfortable you are getting dressed in front of me."

"Well, you aren't exactly human," Zelda said getting up and walking over to her closet, "Speaking of which, what _are_ you exactly? You look sort of like a watch, but you don't tell time."

"Well, that's because I'm not a watch," Faiz said laughing a bit, "I'm a Cyber Heart, a mechanical device that's in tune with the Wave Road."

"So your sort of like a fancy Personal Terminal," Zelda asked, pulling out dark blue panties and putting them on.

"Yes, only I also have loaded into me the soul of a warrior from the Great Wave War."

Zelda just finished putting on her matching blue bra and looked at Faiz with a raised eyebrow, "The Great Wave War?"

"You've heard about it, right?" Faiz asked.

"Yes, bits and pieces. History wasn't a major focus of mine, and after I lost my memory any knowledge I did have of the war was erased."

Faiz floated up to Zelda as she put on the short black maid dress, "You suffer amnesia?"

"My only memories are my first name, my age, basic knowledge on the world, and of course Sarah," Zelda explained, "And before you continue, I don't need nor want your pity. No, I don't know my past, but I don't need a past. Sarah is all I need."

"I see," Faiz said, moving in a way that emulated nodding, "In that case, I won't pester you about it. I will ask you why you wear such skimpy attire all the time. I'll go on a whim and assume that your uniform yesterday isn't supposed to be that ripped."

"Which it isn't," Zelda said quickly.

"But it was still so... revealing, and now this..."

"Well, I don't dress like this because I want to," Zelda stated, "I wear really long coats for a reason. Truth is, I only wear this stuff for work. My employer, who you will have the unfortunate luxury of meeting today, prefers to see me wearing as little as possible."

"This "Jude" person you mean?" Faiz asked.

"Yes, Jude, my least favorite human being on the planet," Zelda put the head piece that went with her uniform in her purse and walked to her dresser, about to pick up her small PC.

"There's no need for that anymore," Faiz said, "I took the liberty of hacking into it last night to acquire all your personal information, and transferred your email address, phone number, ID, and other personal things to me."

Zelda turned to Faiz smiling suggestively, "I don't know if I should be impressed that you could do all that, or mortified that you now know all of my personal information."

Faiz laughed, a pleasant sound despite being partial digitally distorted. He didn't seem like a machine at all. In fact, Faiz seemed like a living, breathing, boy at age fifteen. Did that mean she just got dressed in front of a fifteen year old boy?

Zelda decided not to think about it. Instead she reached out to Faiz, put him on her wrist, and then walked into Sarah's room to check on her.

The poor thing still looked so tired from yesterday, and she was coughing a lot still. Zelda walked over to her side and sat down.

"Honey, how are you feeling?" Zelda asked.

"Still a little... weak," Sarah said, coughing a bit, "I'm sorry I went to the ruins yesterday... Are you mad?"

"Well, I'm not happy about it," Zelda said honestly, "But right now I'm just happy that you're alive. Now, I'm probably going to be coming home a little late, okay? There's still soup in the fridge if you get hungry, and there's plenty of medicine of you feel like you need it, okay?"

"Okay Mommy," Sarah said snuggling up against her bunny, "You and Faizie have a good day."

"I'm sure we will," Faiz said, "Try to get some rest, okay?"

"I will," Sarah said closing her eyes. Zelda kissed Sarah on the forehead and then walked to the front door, putting on her high heels.

"You're really good with kids, Faiz," Zelda said.

"Children are the future," Faiz said, "They are to be cherished, and loved. That part comes easy to people who really care, man or machine."

"Children are the future," Zelda said softly, thinking about how her daughter might not have a future. Prometheus and Pandora said they would find her today and explain a few things, but she hadn't heard from them yet. She didn't want to believe they were lying, but she just didn't see how...

Zelda put on her dark blue trench coat and walked out, into the dark world of the lower quarter.

"I still can't believe the world became like this," Faiz said, "Prez is probably really sad."

"Prez?" Zelda asked as they walked, "Who the hell is Prez?"

"Oh, that's a nickname for an old friend of mine," Faiz answered, "During the Great Wave War."

"You remember those times?" Zelda asked.

"Quite vividly, actually," Faiz explained, "Back then I was actually a human who fought in the war."

"So, if you were human, why are you this... Cyber Heart thing now?"

"The body is destined to die at some point, but the soul is eternal," Faiz said, "I suppose my soul just wasn't meant to pass on yet."

"That's gotta be sad though," Zelda said, "To never be able to pass on."

"I'm fine with it," Faiz said, "Honestly, I take pride in knowing that there's still some good I can do for this world. Also, my human life ended prematurely, so this is a good way for me to continue living."

Faiz was an interesting person. Zelda figured that since he sounded fifteen, he was probably fifteen when he died. She thought about that, a fifteen year old boy fighting in a war. Just what kind of world was his?

After getting on the train, she stopped when she reached the checkpoint. She could tell without even getting closer. Frances and Marshall were waiting for her. Normally she loved running into these two, but this time she was terrified. What would they think if they saw her with Faiz? Would she be in trouble?

"Damn it," Zelda said, "I don't want to have to explain myself to them."

"Then perhaps we should take another way to the upper quarter," Faiz suggested. Zelda walked back a bit and looked at Faiz curiously.

"What other way is there?" she asked.

"I'll show you. Say "Visualize"," Faiz stated. Zelda shrugged her shoulders and complied.

"Visualize!" she shouted. Immediately a holographic visor shot out of Faiz and formed over her eyes, "Hey, this is..."

"I told you, I can see the Wave Road at all times," Faiz said, "Speaking of which, look up."

Zelda looked over the checkpoint and saw that there was a transporter right above the checkpoint on the Wave Road.

"Are you suggesting we use that?" Zelda asked.

"Well, it is illegal," Faiz stated, "But there's no proof that we took this method. As long as we take it back too it should be fine."

"Alright then, so I just do what I did yesterday to transform, right?" Zelda asked.

"Yep, everything else is still activated."

Zelda nodded and held her right hand above her head, "Change! Mega Man!"

Green waves shot out of Faiz and began spinning around Zelda. After a second, she disappeared in a blue light going straight up. The light came down onto the Wave Road, and Zelda saw that she was wearing the same armored outfit she wore in the ruins.

"It's that easy..." Zelda said looking at herself in awe.

"We should be able to bypass all security like this," Faiz said.

"You know what Faiz? I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," Zelda said running forward toward the transporter. She didn't know if he could save Sarah or not, but at least getting around wouldn't be as stressful.

* * *

It was just as bad as Zelda thought it would be, only worse. Why he got off on torturing her like this was beyond her. On the outside she didn't look any different than she usually did when working for him, she even had the same annoyed and frustrated scowl on her face.

"Was it entirely necessary for him to do _that_?" Faiz asked as she dusted.

"No, it wasn't," Zelda groaned, "But he did it anyway because-" something inside of her vibrated sharply, stopping her mid sentence, "Fuck you Jude..." she said under her throat. She walked as best as the vibrator allowed her to over to Jude, who was sitting in his chair watching TV, holding a small red remote control.

"Yes Master?" Zelda said, trying to keep herself together, "How may I serve you?"

"I'm getting a little hungry," Jude said with a sigh, "Go into the kitchen and get me a bowl of grapes."

"As you wish, Master," Zelda said with a slight bow. She then sauntered into the kitchen, losing her fake smile, "I can't stand that man."

"He's quite the charmer," Faiz said sarcastically. Before Zelda could say anything the doorbell rang, catching her off guard. Immediately the vibrator started going off at almost full blast, causing Zelda to have to steady herself on the counter, "Zelda, are you okay?" Faiz asked, floating to her side worried.

"It's... too..." Zelda breathed out, the sensation too much for her. If he didn't stop soon she'd-

"Slave, postpone that last order and answer the door!" Jude called out, lowering the vibrator to a small subtle volume. Zelda forced herself up and walked to the door. She prayed and hoped it wasn't anyone important. That way she could just tell them to go away and she could continue with the rest of her day.

"Hello," Zelda said opening the door, "How may I help-" she gasped when she saw who it was waiting for her.

Prometheus and Pandora.

"Ah, Zelda," Prometheus said, "Just who we were looking for."

"H-hello..." Zelda said, her face turning bright red.

"I told you we'd find you," Pandora said with a smile, "And we have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Zelda asked, "What sort of-" the vibrator activated, making her stop and fall over a bit.

"Zelda? What's wrong?" Prometheus asked catching her.

"Slave! How long does it take to answer the door?"

"C-coming Master..." she said, silently meaning that in BOTH ways. Thankfully the vibrating stopped and she could stand up again, "The Master is waiting for you in the living room," she said in a low tone that suggested servitude, "Please come this way."

Prometheus and Pandora looked at each other slightly before walking into the house, where Jude was waiting for them.

"Prometheus, Pandora, what a pleasant surprise," Jude said getting up and walking over to them, "I hadn't thought I would see you again."

"Yes, it's always a pleasure Jude," Prometheus said shaking Jude's hand. Jude took Pandora's hand and kissed it, but she looked away somewhat disgusted.

"How may I help you?" Jude asked, now perfectly polite, which angered Zelda to no end. Only that way to Class A citizens...

"Well, there are a few concerns we have regarding your staff," Prometheus, "Especially with the way things turned out at your party on Wednesday."

"Ah, yes. That _was_ quite the fiasco, wasn't it?" Jude said, glaring at Zelda like it was her fault. Prometheus cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Yes, why don't we sit down and talk?" Prometheus said.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Jude said, "Slave, get some refreshments for my guests."

"Yes, Master," Zelda said with a curtsy. She turned around to leave, but...

"Um, Zelda, delay that order," Prometheus said, shocking both her and Jude.

"Excuse me?" Jude said somewhat enraged, but he calmed down immediately when Prometheus glared at him.

"Prometheus, I'll go with her," Pandora said.

"Perfect, Pandora, this won't take long at all," Prometheus stated. Pandora took Zelda lightly by the arm and walked her out of the room. When they were alone, Faiz detached himself from Zelda's wrist and floated next to them.

"Pandora, what is all of this?" Faiz asked for Zelda.

"First thing's first," Pandora said, "Get that thing out of you."

"Um... Jude told me I had to-"

"He's the least of my concerns right now," Pandora said, "Just get that thing out. I'll turn around."

Pandora turned around and folded her arms. Zelda felt so weird doing this, but she was also afraid. What would Jude do if he found out that she-

There was shouting coming from the living room, and it sounded like Jude. Zelda was about to check on him, but Pandora held her hand out stopping her.

"Don't worry about him," Pandora said confusing and scaring Zelda a bit.

"But he's-" Pandora turned slightly and gave her a similar glare to what Prometheus gave Jude. She better comply. Stepping back, she pulled the vibrator slowly out of her, immediately feeling relieved but still aroused sadly.

"Okay, it's out," Zelda said softly. Pandora immediately turned around and picked it up, walking over to the sink and washing it out.

"Get your coat and anything else you came here with," Pandora said.

"But my shift isn't-"

"Trust me, it's over. Now hurry."

This was so weird, and it scared Zelda a bit, but she decided to go along with it. Pandora was terrifying, and she didn't want to know what she'd do if she questioned it again.

"Faiz, any idea what's going on here?" Zelda asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Faiz said.

After grabbing her coat and purse, she walked back to Pandora, who smiled in acceptance.

"That's better," she said, "Now, come along. Prometheus is probably done by now."

Zelda nodded slowly, still confused as to what was going on. When she and Pandora stepped out, she saw Prometheus putting a few papers away, and Jude looked absolutely crestfallen.

"Excellent," Prometheus said, "I just got finished telling Jude the situation. How do you feel, Zelda?"

"Um, I feel fine," Zelda said, as always feeling flushed whenever she was in Prometheus' presence.

"Say good bye to Jude, dear," Prometheus said, "We've gotten a much better job for you."

What did he say? Did he say a "better job"? Was her dream coming true? No way, this had to be fake. This couldn't be real. They weren't actually going to take her away from here.

Zelda looked at Jude, who looked absolutely horrified. That's when it became real for her. They came for _her_. She walked over to Jude, and did something she always wanted to do.

She grabbed him by the balls _tightly_. He winced in pain as she dragged him down a bit.

"Enjoy this," she said with a venomous smile, "Because this is the _last_ contact I'm ever going to have with your pencil of a dick."

She then let go, and walked out of the mansion. Pandora giggled and Prometheus raised an eyebrow at Jude before walking after her. When she stepped outside, she saw a nice limo that was white on the front and black on the back. It matched the two perfectly.

"I hope that was okay," Zelda said, worried that this _might_ be too good to be true.

"Trust us, that was fine," Prometheus said, "You aren't going to _ever_ have to come back to this place."

"All you have to do is sign here," Pandora said, pulling out a white sheet of paper, "and you'll officially work for us."

Zelda looked at the contract closely. All it said was that she was now employed to Prometheus and Pandora. It mentioned that she would be taken care of during her time working for them, and her pay would be about the same amount she got working for Jude, if not _more_.

It also stated that they were under no circumstances able to take advantage of her kindness in any way, shape, or form. It looked like they both signed it already, because on the line for "employer" she read "Prometheus & Pandora", oddly in the same handwriting, yet she could tell it was from two different pens.

That was a little creepy, she wouldn't lie. Were these also twins?

"Is it okay that I only sign my first name?" Zelda asked.

"Is something wrong?" Pandora asked.

"Oh no, I just... don't know... my last name is all," Zelda admitted.

Prometheus took her hand and lightly caressed it, "Do whatever makes you feel comfortable Zelda. We want to help _you_."

They were touching. She couldn't believe it. Her heart was racing a mile a minute thinking about the gorgeous man standing next to her. Despite how creepy he was concerning his sister, and how scary he was last night, she couldn't help herself. He was _so_ magnificent looking.

Zelda slowly nodded and signed her name on the contract.

~_Zelda_

Pandora took the contract from her as Prometheus ushered her into their car, "Zelda, my lady, your new life awaits."

This was the first time any man treated her like this, so Zelda's head was spinning. Still, she got in the car, and Prometheus closed the door behind her. Pandora sat down next to her and took her hand.

"What is all of this?" Zelda asked.

"This was Prometheus' idea," Pandora said happily, "I told him how worried I was about you, and he found everything we needed to help you," Pandora then hugged Zelda's arm, "I'm so happy right now!"

It was then Zelda realized two things. Thing number one, Pandora was her friend, definitely. With how happy she seemed, this was real. Thing number two had her heart racing as she looked at Prometheus sitting in front of her.

Prometheus _saved_ her...

**Looks like things are starting to look up for our girl, huh? I'd love to hear what you all think of the happenings in this chapter, so please, feel free to review and post your thoughts. The reason I'm writing this story is A) to get back in the writing business, and B) to portray a particular message about life and the world.**

**By all means, speak my people, SPEAK!**


	6. The Power to Change the World

The Power to Change the World

"Oh my God!" Zelda said in awe as she got out of the limo. She was looking at the biggest mansion she had ever seen. It had to be at least five stories tall.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Prometheus asked, "Our place is sponsored by Olympus. We're not with Olympus, but as consultants we get special benefits like these."

"You two are consultants of Olympus?" Faiz asked, floating off of Zelda's wrist and floating to Prometheus.

"The Administrator comes to us if there's a problem her men can't solve," Pandora said walking up to them, "She trusts us for our power."

"You mean your powers as Mega Men?" Zelda asked, getting a nod from Pandora.

"We'll explain everything in due time," Prometheus said, "For now, let's get you situated into your new life."

Prometheus walked into the mansion, Zelda following him with her eyes. She knew that she looked pathetic right now, but she couldn't help it. He saved her, like a knight or a prince come to rescue the damsel in distress.

"You _like_ him, don't you?" Pandora asked teasingly, catching poor Zelda off guard.

"Um, well... he's nice," Zelda defended, trying to play it off. Sadly, Pandora wasn't buying it, and she shook her head smiling.

"It's okay. My brother's a good guy. A tad scary when he's passionate about something, but otherwise he's pretty mellow and down to earth."

"He seems like it," Zelda said, remembering how he seemed when she met him in the Northern Ruins, "When I saw him yesterday he was a completely different person."

"Yeah, he gets like that when it comes to Cyber Hearts and powers they give us," Pandora explained, "You'll see why in a bit."

Pandora took Zelda's arm and lead her into the mansion. She thought the outside was amazing, but the inside was something out of a movie. The walls, furniture, almost everything was a shade of red. In the living room was a large flat screen TV and red couch, complete with matching coffee table and even a grand piano.

Further in Zelda saw a large staircase going straight up. Zelda assumed that there were bedrooms up there.

"Here," Pandora said handing Zelda a box, "Inside here you'll find your new uniform."

"Thank you," Zelda said taking the box, "Um, what should I do with my old one?"

"You could always burn it," Prometheus said loftily. He and Pandora both laughed, and shockingly so did Zelda. She felt so at home and at peace with these two, like she was absolutely safe with them.

It was seriously too good to be true.

"Why don't you use Pandora's room to change," Prometheus suggested, "It's the second room on the right after you take those stairs."

Zelda nodded to Prometheus and ran up the stairs into Pandora's room, noticing how they both laughed a bit as she ran. She knew that she was being silly, but it had been ages since she had been this happy.

When she got into Pandora's room, she was amazed. It was so _big_! Unlike the rest of the house, her room had a more purple hue to it, which matched Zelda's impression of Pandora perfectly.

"Faiz, they really came," Zelda said sitting down on the bed, "I mean, I know that Pandora said they would, but there was a part of me that..."

Faiz floated over to Zelda, "This whole thing is happening so fast. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about all of this."

"These two are fine," Zelda said, "Sure, they've got a sort of creepy horror flick twin thing happening, but I think they're good people."

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that because you like Prometheus?" Faiz asked. Zelda knew that she was caught, but she did honestly believe that they were good people? What was she saying, of course she did. They helped her so much already. They wouldn't have gone this far for her unless they really cared.

She shook it off and took out the uniform that Prometheus and Pandora prepared for her. She was taken aback. It was a really nice dark blue gown that was high in the front but long in the back. The top of the gown was meant to show off her bust line, but not too much (though with as big as hers was she'd see). There was also a blue jacket that went with it that had large flowing sleeves, and the jacket had a silver belt that would go around her waist. Also in the box was a pair of dark blue high heeled boots and white gloves.

She put the uniform on, and was actually amazed with how nice it looked on her. The top of the dress did show a lot, but it wasn't indecent at all. Although it was still very obvious that she was full figured, especially with the jacket tied around her waist in such a way that it gave her a bit of an hourglass figure.

When she looked at it, the look reminded her a bit off her Mega Man armor, only the jacket wasn't as long or armored. Also, she didn't wear a dress in her armor, but it was very reminiscent of it, especially with the colors.

"Now, how do I look?" Zelda asked turning to Faiz. He floated all around her, and then nodded.

"Now _that's_ more fitting," Faiz said, "You look almost like a high class official."

"Oh stop," Zelda said giggling. She was having too much fun right now.

She walked downstairs, where she was greeted by the most wonderful sound. Someone was playing a beautiful yet haunting melody on the piano. She walked into the living room and saw it was Prometheus, who was lost in the music. Listening to it, Zelda felt a great sadness and pain. She wondered if that was _his_ pain she was feeling.

After a minute, he stopped playing and looked at Zelda, actually doing a double take.

"My, I knew you would be stunning in that outfit, but I didn't think you would look _this_ beautiful."

"Thank you," Zelda said, "Most of the time I'm forced to wear really skimpy clothing, so I never get the chance to wear nice clothes like this."

"That's a shame," Prometheus said walking over to Zelda, standing right in front of her and caressing her cheek lightly, "A woman is at her most beautiful when wearing something that compliments her entirely. Not just her body, but also her _soul_. This dress shows your true beauty, not by showing a bunch of indecent skin, but by showing what it is about _you_ that makes you lovely."

"Oh..." Zelda moaned, suddenly feeling light headed. This man had so much power it was unbelievable.

"Am I interrupting anything good?" Pandora asked, shocking the hell out of Zelda, who screamed and turned around. Pandora was holding a bottle of wine, and she had a knowing smile, "Oh, don't stop on my account."

"Sister, please..." Prometheus groaned. If Zelda didn't know better, he sounded disappointed. Was he actually trying to...

"Oh, you'll have plenty of time to get to know her better brother, but we have business to attend to. Promise to keep, remember?"

Prometheus sighed, "Yes Pandora, you're right," he put his hands on Zelda's shoulders a bit, and then escorted her to the couch. It was as soft as she imagined it to be.

Prometheus sat down on her left, and Pandora sat down on her right, setting down the wine and three fancy wine glasses, "Do you drink?" Pandora asked.

"I've never had wine before," Zelda said, "At least, nothing this high class."

"Then prepare for a treat," Pandora said pouring her a glass, "Best to drink it slowly to truly enjoy the flavor."

Zelda looked at the dark red liquid curiously. Even Faiz floated off her wrist and was looking at it. They two of them looked at each other, nodded, and Zelda took the glass to her mouth and sipped the liquid.

"My... this is amazing," Zelda said, "Do Class A citizens drink this all the time?"

"I should hope not," Prometheus said taking a sip of wine himself, "This stuff, while it tastes divine, can do horrible things to a person's head. Pandora here turns into a real life party girl if you get enough in her."

Zelda turned to Pandora, getting a sudden image of her jumping on the table and dancing like a teenager. Pandora, for her part, frowned and made the cutest pouting expression toward Prometheus.

"You're one to talk. Last time you got drunk, you recited the entire first part of Paradise Lost. You had everyone in the party in tears!"

Now Zelda had an image of Prometheus sitting at a bar, telling terribly sad stories to the patrons next to him. Prometheus cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, those were bad times. Now, shall we get down to business?"

"Oh, _now_ you want to get to business?" Pandora said, "Don't want to ruin your image in front of our guests?"

"Sister..." Prometheus growled, making Pandora laugh. These two were very cute together, like brother and sister should be.

"But seriously, he's right," Pandora said, "So to start, do you have any questions, Zelda?"

"Actually, quite a few," Zelda said taking another sip of the red wine, "But I'll ask the most basic one first. What exactly is a Cyber Heart? Faiz explained a bit this morning, but he didn't go into full detail."

"Well," Prometheus said, "To understand exactly what a Cyber Heart is, you need to know the full story behind the Great Wave War."

"I mentioned that to her as well," Faiz said, "Sadly, she doesn't know much about it."

"Oh, why not?" Prometheus asked.

Zelda looked down in shame, "Truth is, I don't have any memories beyond seven years ago, right after Sarah was born. I know how to read, write, I have basic knowledge of the world, and I know my first name, but everything else is..."

"A blur?" Pandora asked.

"Not even," Zelda said shaking her head, "It's like the memories just aren't there. Try as I might, nothing jogs them. I went to doctors, but they tell me that nothing's wrong with me, so I just don't worry about it."

"Zelda, I'm sorry to hear that," Pandora said taking her hand, "It has to be hard, not knowing who you are or where you come from."

"It's like I told Faiz this morning, I don't need a past as long as I have Sarah," Zelda stated.

"Well, since you don't know much about it, I don't mind telling you the story if you don't mind listening," Prometheus said.

"I don't mind at all, Prometheus," Zelda said, noticing how Pandora giggled a bit behind her.

"Well then," Prometheus said, "Our story begins about three hundred years ago, during a time of great prosper. No one worried about illness, everyone had enough Zenny to live happy lives, compared to the world we live in now, it was perfect.

"However, that all changed when beings from another planet came and invaded Earth. These aliens had a composition that was similar to electromagnetic energy, so much that they couldn't even be seen let alone fought by conventional means. These aliens planned on destroying everything on Earth, and they would have."

"But why?" Zelda asked, "And how could they destroy the planet?"

"No one really remembers why they wanted the planet destroyed," Pandora stated, "Nor the means of how they planned on doing it. All we know is that someone stopped them," Pandora pointed to Faiz, "You see, there were two warriors who opposed the aliens at different times. First there was the blue warrior of light. He was a young boy who met one of the aliens, but this alien wasn't on the side of his planet. He sided with Earth, and brought with him the means of fighting back."

"You see," Prometheus said, "These aliens were powerful, but for some reason their power weakened when they came to Earth, so they would grant humans their power, because for whatever reason humans could bring out their true power. Are you with me so far?"

"Y-yes," Zelda said, "So I'm guessing that this alien granted the boy his power?"

"That's right," Prometheus said, "The boy turned into the blue warrior of light, and pushed back the aliens. All was peaceful for a while, until the aliens came back."

"The blue warrior went up into space to fight the aliens," Pandora said, "But he wasn't strong enough to fight them by himself. He fell to the aliens, but not before taking the aliens' secret weapon and converting it so it could be used by Earth."

"It took four years for the weapon to reach Earth," Prometheus said, "But when it did, it found it's way to a young girl who was friends with the blue warrior. This girl used the weapon to become the red warrior of destruction, and continued the fight for the blue warrior."

Zelda noticed that Faiz looked down a bit, as if sad. He probably remembered everything they were saying.

"I wish I could have done more for her," Faiz said, "As it was, we did save the planet, but at a horrible cost."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, getting worried now.

Prometheus gave a grave sigh, "You see, the weapon that the red warrior used was very powerful, _too _powerful for her to truly handle. Every time she used the weapon, she brought herself closer and closer to death."

"Even with the knowledge of what the weapon was doing to her, she continued to use it," Pandora said sadly, "She knew that if she stopped, the whole world would be destroyed, so she had to choose either her life, or the lives of everyone on the planet."

"Faiz," Zelda said sadly, "Was the red warrior this "Prez" you mentioned?"

Faiz sighed, "Yes, she was. You see, during her fights, I was able to guide her a bit as a living EM Wave, but once I learned what her powers were doing to her, it was too late. She was the only one who could fight, but I knew that if she fought she would die. That was the hardest moment in my life, seeing her suffer and not being able to do anything about it."

"Oh Faiz," Zelda said, actually taking the floating device and hugging it, "You did what you had to for the planet," she turned to Prometheus, "Was there no other way though?"

"It's funny, because if it weren't for a particular human, she might have lived a longer life," Prometheus said, "But there was a man who feared the aliens so much, that he used a powerful weapon to fire on the planet. This didn't destroy them, but it made them pretty pissed. So in retaliation, they sent down a powerful doomsday machine called Cassiopeia to attack Earth."

"Because of that," Pandora added, "The red warrior had to use her powers beyond what her body could handle just to fight it. Needless to say, she didn't survive."

Zelda looked down in sadness, realizing that this girl was probably only about as old as Faiz was at the time. The thought of these children being forced to fight and die made her sick, and she thought about how she'd feel if it were Sarah who had to fight.

"So if these children died," Zelda asked, "why does Faiz exist now as a Cyber Heart?"

"And now we get closer to present time," Pandora said, "You see, during the aftermath of the war, the aliens' king somehow survived, much like how the blue warrior lived on, only in his case, he lived on as a cluster of darkness, and merged with the remains of his doomsday machine."

"He _merged _with it?!" Zelda asked.

"Yes," Prometheus added, "creating what is known as the first Cyber Heart, Jafar."

"Jafar exists even now," Pandora said, "and is sending out negative energy down onto the planet. You've seen this negative energy in two forms."

"I have?" Zelda asked in confusion.

"One is in the form of the viruses that attack the lower quarter," Pandora explained, "They are all born from the negative energy of Jafar."

"The other form is actually very close to you," Prometheus said, "According to what my sister tells me, you're daughter Sarah is very sick, isn't she?"

It was then that everything was starting to come together for Zelda. This negative energy they were talking about was currently hurting her little girl. They were talking about the Xeno-Virus.

"So Sarah is sick because of Jafar?" Zelda asked, her entire body shaking in anger. Both Prometheus and Pandora nodded gravely.

"Conventional weapons don't work on Jafar," Pandora explained, "But about a decade ago, a mysterious being came to Earth. She was a like a goddess, and she had watched over the war. Knowing that Earth would need an edge, she took the souls of some of the warriors who fought in the Great Wave War, and created her own Cyber Hearts based off of the warriors."

Prometheus stood up and walked off a bit, "The Cyber Hearts were given to chosen individuals who exemplified traits of these warriors," Prometheus turned around holding his Cyber Heart up a bit, "Change! Mega Man!" he shouted, thrusting his hand forward. In a red flash he was wearing the gothic grim reaper armor she saw him in before, "Those of us who can use their powers are using the powers of this goddess. We are called Mega Men. I'm known as the Mega Man of Death."

Pandora stood up and walked next to her brother. She then held her hand up, revealing a platinum Cyber Heart just like her brother's, "Change! Mega Man!" she shouted, throwing her arm to the side. In a bright flash, she was in her more priestess looking armor, "I'm Prometheus' opposite. I'm the Mega Man of Life."

"Life and Death," Faiz said thoughtfully, "You two compliment each other with your powers, but I'm surprised to see the two of you working so well together."

"Why should it be surprising?" Pandora said, "Life can't exist without death, and all that dies is destined to return in some way, shape or form in another life. Thus is the circle of life and death."

"That makes sense to me," Zelda said, "But how is Faiz special? Yesterday, you mentioned that Faiz was a legendary Cyber Heart. What does that mean?"

"Haven't you figured it out?" Prometheus said, "He's the Cyber Heart that possesses the power and soul of the blue warrior."

"You see, there are two Cyber Hearts that are said to hold immense power," Pandora added, "One being the Cyber Heart of Destruction, and the other being the Cyber Heart of Light."

"Zayn, the Cyber Heart of Destruction, is the only one that can't be found by anyone," Prometheus said, sitting back down next to Zelda still armored, "Though, even if it could be found, I imagine no one could ever use it's power. It would have the same power that killed the red warrior."

"The other one was unknown for a long time," Pandora said sitting down next to Zelda as well, "Until Prometheus found it. That Cyber Heart is said to hold the power to change the entire world."

"There are people who want to use the power for selfish reasons," Prometheus said, "Many have sought the power of this Cyber Heart, feeling that with it they could recreate the world in their image. I couldn't let someone like that have the power of the blue light."

"So why did you give it to me?" Zelda asked.

"Come on, look at yourself," Prometheus said smiling, "You put yourself through hell, working two jobs, having to deal with people like Jude, all for your little girl. There's nothing more pure than a mother's love for her child. I _wanted_ you to have the power of the blue light, because I knew that it would be in good hands with you."

"And like I said," Pandora said, "If Faiz is indeed the Cyber Heart of the Blue Light, then he's the one who possesses the power to not just fight off Jafar's darkness, but _destroy_ Jafar's darkness."

"Jafar's darkness is the source of Sarah's illness..." Zelda said to herself, "If that's the case then..."

"I really can cure Sarah," Faiz finished for Zelda, who truly felt like her whole world was a thousand times brighter. Faiz's power _could_ save Sarah, by stopping the virus at the source. This was what she wanted. A way to save Sarah. She couldn't stop smiling as she thought about it.

"So now you understand why we wanted to help you," Pandora said, "Sarah has an illness that's associated with our enemy, and the only way to save Sarah is to defeat that enemy."

"Then what do I have to do?" Zelda asked immediately. Prometheus and Pandora looked at each other smiling before continuing.

"First you have to find the forces of fire, water, wind, and shadow," Prometheus explained, "They've been stolen by Jafar's viruses, and we'll need them in order to add to Faiz's power."

"Add to my power?" Faiz asked, "You mean I can get stronger?"

"You alone have the power to unify all the Cyber Hearts," Prometheus said, "You have within you the potential to become the strongest Cyber Heart on the planet. That's the power needed to stop Jafar."

"Huh..." Faiz looked down, apparently taking everything he just heard in. Zelda had one last question though.

"So, on a slightly unrelated note, what am I expected to do for you guys besides helping you defeat Jafar? Unless you two are paying me to do that."

Both Prometheus and Pandora laughed hearing that, "I'm sure you'd like that, but sadly that's _not_ what we'll be paying you for," Prometheus said.

"You see, Prometheus and I do a lot of work here in the upper quarter," Pandora said, "It's hard work to do on our own, and we've been looking for an assistant."

"Basically," Prometheus said, "What you'd be doing is travelling with us, tending to our personal needs, sort of the same work you did for Jude, only without the humiliation."

"Also," Pandora said, "You'll be seen as an equal to us, not as a lowly servant. Just to give you an idea, here's your first payment."

Pandora pulled up a holographic screen and typed on it. An odd beeping noise came from Faiz, who opened up her wallet program. Honestly, she was about to faint.

It was _double_ what Jude was paying her.

"Holy..." Zelda said, "With this... I have enough to get some things for myself too."

"That's the point," Prometheus said, finally changing back into his normal form and taking Zelda's hand, "It's up to you how far you want to take this, but we hope that one day you'll trust us to take care of all your needs."

Oh, how she wanted to take him up on that offer right now. Just let him take care of her. Sadly, she had to think realistically. This was happening way too fast for her to process. Also, even if this place had a lot of space, she couldn't move Sarah yet. Not until she got a little better.

"I think for now I'd like to start with the same hours I worked for Jude," Zelda said, "If that's okay with the two of you."

"That's fine," Pandora said, changing back herself, "Though you'll have to continue working in the diner."

"I know you don't like me working there, but I'll be fine. I'm an independent woman after all. I do appreciate everything you guys are doing though," Zelda looked down smiling, "Thank you. My life is starting to turn around because of you two."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Pandora asked, putting an arm around Zelda, who finally felt comfortable enough to respond.

"Right," she said with a smile.

* * *

They mingled for the rest of the night, until it was time for Zelda to get home and check on Sarah. Like Faiz requested, she took the Wave Road back as to avoid any unnecessary drama from Olympus.

"I can't believe it Faiz," Zelda said as she walked on the Wave Road back to her house, "You really can save Sarah. You might even be able to save the whole world."

"It does feel good to know that I'm useful," Faiz said.

"Especially since you apparently can't tell time," Zelda said with a laugh, getting a groan from Faiz.

"For the last time, I'M NOT A WATCH!" Faiz shouted, making Zelda laugh even harder.

She teleported off the Wave Road and appeared in the Real World in her true form close to her house. As she turned the corner though, she saw a sight that made her stop. A familiar cat girl with pink hair.

"Angela..." Zelda said bracing herself. Faiz floated off her wrist and looked at both Angela and Zelda. Angela looked really serious as she walked closer to Zelda.

"I heard from Frances and Marshall that you lived in this district meow," Angela said, "When you didn't appear at the checkpoint, I figured you used the Wave Road to get to the upper quarter."

"So what if I did?" Zelda asked equally seriously.

"You do know that's illegal right?" Angela asked with a smirk, "I could have you arrested meow."

"But you aren't with Olympus, and I get the feeling that you technically don't even exist on record," Zelda reasoned, "Besides, you know about Sarah, and I doubt you're going to force her to live without her mother."

"You know me well meow," Angela said, "You're right. I won't arrest you, but I am going to ask that you hand that Cyber Heart to me."

"Ha! That's funny," Zelda said arrogantly, "You should take up comedy."

"That wasn't a joke," Angela said, "That power is too dangerous in the hands of a civilian."

"This power is what's going to cure my daughter," Zelda said, "Now that I know the truth about Faiz and what kind of Mega Man I am, I have no intentions of giving Faiz up to anyone. Now if you'd excuse me, my daughter is waiting for me."

Zelda walked right past Angela, Faiz floating next to her, "Then you leave me no choice," Angela said, making Zelda stop right next to her, "We won't attack you in front of your house, but mark my words meow, I won't stop until that Cyber Heart is safe in Satellite's hands."

"Then I have a warning for you too," Zelda said, "If anyone gets in my way, I won't hesitate to kill them. I need Faiz's power to cure my daughter, and if you try to stop me, then you're just another target I have to shoot."

Angela sighed, apparently she didn't want to reach this point, "Fair enough. See you soon, Zelda."

"You too, Angela," Zelda said, walking away from the cat girl and into her house. She wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way. She had a purpose now, and she'd need Faiz's help in order to fulfill that purpose.

* * *

"Well, I tried talking to her like you suggested meow," Angela said looking up, "It's like I said though, her love for her daughter is so great, it clouds her judgment a bit. I don't think she's going to listen to anyone right now..."

Angela sighed and walked back to the teleportation spot. She didn't want to turn Zelda into an enemy, but she had to get that Cyber Heart to her sister. Faiz was their only hope.

Without Faiz, the whole world was doomed.

**So, confused yet? I hope so.**


End file.
